Life, 1901-11-21 · page 9 of 20
Life — November 21, 1901 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Reflections of a Mirror—XVIII" This is a narrative illustration rather than political satire. The caption describes a Civil War-era story: a woman from the North hides a wounded Union soldier in her attic during a Southern occupation. When the town falls to Union forces again, her Southern lover discovers the soldier's presence. Rather than betray her, the lover helps her keep the soldier's presence secret to preserve their relationship. The image shows an intimate domestic scene—an older woman tending to a bedridden young man—rendered in dramatic chiaroscuro. It's a sentimental tale about competing loyalties (North vs. South, duty vs. love) during the war, presented as moral narrative rather than comedic satire. The ornate frame emphasizes the story's dramatic, theatrical quality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
REFLECTIONS OF A MIRROR—XVIII, News came of tbe Northerners advancing on the town, and I was placed in the garret for safety with other breakable articles, My young lady of the house had a fover in the Union army, and one day be was brought sect to the house wounded ; and he was hidden tn the attic. When the town agaln fell Into Southern hands, her brother discovered tim and would have made # scene, but her mother, remembering the dificulties connected with her own marriage, aided the gitl—tn epite of her impulses—in persuading him to keep the lover's presence unknown. comicbooks.com