Life, 1902-09-04 · page 9 of 22
Life — September 4, 1902 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 195 The main illustration depicts a dramatic seaside scene: a captain and seasick passenger aboard a ship in rough waters. The captain declares "I fear there is no hope for us. We may sink at any moment," while the terrified passenger responds "O Lord! and I am afraid it's fully two miles to the bottom." This is a humorous cartoon about seasickness and maritime anxiety—the joke being the passenger's absurd worry about the distance to the ocean floor when facing immediate sinking. The text discusses Newport News society gossip and, more significantly, critiques new U.S. Army uniforms (olive green replacing Civil War–era blue). The commentary sarcastically notes that soldiers rarely see enemies anyway, so uniform visibility matters little—a pointed comment on military strategy or visibility in modern warfare.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
195 Newport News. "HE BULLIFAT INKUMS will open their house at Lenox before the clouds roll by. Mrs. B. I. buys her buckwheat at Tiffany's. Mrs. Toppother Heep has a new fourth-assistant gar- dener. She doesn't know that her grandfather worked for this gar- dener’s grandfather. The Toppother Heep coat of arms is three lions rampant, on an ermine ground. Mr. and Mrs. Groundfloor Jones are very nice people. Her mother was a Philadelphia Kobb- webb. They have always been fash- ionable. Her fa- ther was a Hogg. Isn't it interesting that the Snubbors should in- termarry with the Boo- dles? [HE army is to have new uniforms. The blue suits in which we fought out the Civil War have been condemned as too conspicuous, and after New Year's our soldiers are to go garbed in olive green that is guaranteed to blend with the landscape ata distance of eleven hundred yards, Thisis another result of the use of long-distance rifles, which have brought out unobtrusiveness as a leading military quality. In modern war the next best thing to not being there is not to be seen. No doubt our doctors of war know what they are about and have ordered this matter of clothes in accordance with wisdom, but considering how little our soldiers see of the enemy, and how much wo see of our soldiers, it would seem as though the enemy was somewhat overmuch regarded, and as though our entertainment got less attention than itshould. All our efficers, too, will have to get new clothes, and some are sorrowing about it, for the average American army officer— especially if he is married—faces the evemy with a good deal lighter heart than he does the tailor. Captain: 1 PEAR THERE 18 No HOPE POR US. WE MAY SINK AT ANT MOMENT. Seasick Passenger: 0 LORD! AND 1 AM APRAID IT'S FULLY TWO MILES TO THE BOTTOM. comicbooks.com