Life, 1903-03-19 · page 8 of 22
Life — March 19, 1903 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page depicts a satirical scene of women's club politics. The text describes a "Snake Club" meeting where Alice is being elected as a new member, despite her admission that she only visits once per century. The illustration shows classical female allegorical figures (identifiable by their Greek/Roman styling and attributes) apparently reacting to or mocking this absurd membership situation. The satire targets the pretensions and arbitrary rules of women's social clubs—the contrast between exclusive membership standards and the ease with which someone can join despite minimal participation. The humor relies on depicting serious classical goddesses engaged in petty club bureaucracy, deflating both their dignity and the clubs' self-importance. The "Snake Club" name itself suggests cattiness or backstabbing behavior among members.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
244 -LIFE- awfally becoming, though sometimes I wish I had had copperheads.” Sure enough the snakes were a pale yellow, which contrasted well with the black aigrette which nodded coquettishly above them. Then Lamia floated up to Alice, but though she was sweet and graceful, Alice liked Eve the best of all. She turned to speak to the President again, and found she was just calling the meeting to order. * Ladies,” said Eve, as she rapped on the table with a spray of apple blossoms, “the business before the meeting is the election of new members. I pro- pose Alice, the young stranger who is with us, as an eligible member of our Snake Club.”” Alice was duly seconded, and without more than the usual amount of parliamentary nonsense necessary to a ladies’ club, she was unanimously elected. “You have to stay here all the time, you know,” said Elsie casually to her. “What!"’ cried Alice, ‘do you mean live here “Certainly ; we never go out except once ina hundred years. To-day was my day out, and that’s how I chanced to meet you.” “But I won't stay here,” cried Alice. “Tut, tat,’ said Eve, ‘don’t talk like that. You allowed yourself to be elected, and now you can’t get away.” Alice stormed and fumed, and then she cried, but the ladies were squab- bling over some parliamentary questions and paid no attention to her. At last she bethought herself of strategy. Sidling up to Cleopatra, she whispered: “If you'll let me just my comicbooks.com