Life, 1901-05-23 · page 3 of 22
Life — May 23, 1901 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains a short story titled "The Girl with a Complexion" rather than a political cartoon. The illustration shows a seaside scene with figures gathered near water and trees. The story itself is a lighthearted domestic narrative about a sea-serpent character advising children about summer activities—mentioning locations like Atlantic City, the Jersey coast, and Australia. The dialogue includes warnings about avoiding "green crabs" and references to hotel men on Atlantic circuits providing accident insurance. The "joke" appears to be the whimsical premise of a sea-serpent offering maternal advice about proper summer leisure activities. This reflects early 20th-century middle-class American concerns about appropriate vacation destinations and behaviors during the summer season. The humor relies on the absurdity of the sea-creature as maternal figure rather than on political satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ready for the Season. «¢J OW, my dears,” said the wid- owed sea-serpent, as she called the children and sat down to a light lunch of jettisoned bananas and jelly- fish, “I must leave you, and start for the Jersey coast. “But before I go, 1 want you to listen tome. Pass the anemone salad, please. As you know, my first appear- ance this season is at Atlantic City, as usual, and I am booked solid right through the summer. They're light- ing kitchen fires with money in the States, and the whole push, from Illinois to Oklahoma, is coming East to dally with the sad sea waves and the clusive nitie spot. All of which THE GIRL WITH A COMPLEXION. means business for your mamma. “But beware, my dears, of tempt- ing offers in my absence. Stay at home. There are only a few of us left. Remember that it’s nicer here than playing Terre Haute and Pittsburg in a tank car. Your turn will come, “ After this season I shall res! for a year in our cave near the Gulf of Aden, or else go to Australia, where I have promised to appear in some new undulations. “Don't worry about me in my ab- sence. The hotel men on the Atlantic circnit are my friends. They pay my accident insurance. I have confidence inthem, And remember not to eat any of those green crabs that poisoned your poor father.” So saying, she bade them good-by, and gazing on them fondly, with eyes that glistened like two washtubs full of brass filings, she floated away. Then, suddenly stopping, she called back to them, ‘Is my dorsal fin on straight?” They nodded assent, and she disappeared amid the green shad- ows. W.S. Dunbar. GEE: Well, dear, did you enjoy your evening? Did he give you a good dinner? He: The best ever. Icould think of nothing else while eating it; and I forgot all about it after. comicbooks.com