Life, 1901-09-12 · page 7 of 20
Life — September 12, 1901 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Reflections of a Mirror—XV" This illustration depicts a social scene at an inn, showing a well-dressed couple returning with a group of "merry friends" under "happier circumstances" than their previous visit. The caption suggests the couple had experienced misfortune on an earlier occasion ("all had gone well with them"). The framed scene uses the "mirror reflection" conceit to comment on social fortune and change. The formal dress, crowded gathering, and celebratory atmosphere contrast with an implied previous hardship. This appears to be social satire about how people's circumstances fluctuate and how their social reception changes accordingly—friends reappear when prosperity returns. The specific identities of the figures remain unclear without additional historical context.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ag 2 7 7 4 S, 4 7 wy , 4 ia 4 7 4 4s if 4 Z| , 2? g eN AREAS 2» WHASN SARS REFLECTIONS OF A MIRROR —XY. The next spring, from another room of this Jon, I saw this same couple return again with « party of merry friends, “ under happler circumstances" they satd, and so 1 judged that ail had gone well with them,