Life, 1903-04-30 · page 7 of 20
Life — April 30, 1903 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the extravagant wealth display of America's ultra-rich during the Gilded Age. The main cartoon depicts Uncle Sam observing a figure sitting on "Appropriations" (labeled as such), with the caption "Why, he can hatch more eggs than that!" The accompanying article describes an absurdly lavish wedding gift display for Miss Bridie Stile, including diamonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars given by wealthy families (the Vanderbilts, Astors, and others are named). The satire mocks: 1. Obscene plutocratic excess during an era of inequality 2. The concentration of wealth among industrial magnates 3. The frivolous use of enormous fortunes on luxury goods The cartoon suggests that such wealth-hoarding generates problems as readily as a nesting bird produces eggs—implying social instability from unchecked inequality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Uncle Sam; wuy, We CAN MATCH MONE EoGs THAN THAT! Society. TRE arrangements for the Stile-Inkum wed- ding are practically com- pleted. The decorators took possession of Dividend Hall and began the work of changing the house into a floral bower of great beauty. 4 The flowers came from New York by carloads. Ballifat Inkum, Jr., seems very happy, and the fiancée, Miss Birdie Stile—only daughter of Lottsmore Stile—is, of course, charming ($8,000,000 in her own right). Her aunt, Mrs. Richern Mudd, gives her four quarts of large pearls for a wedding present ($650,000). The gifts to Miss Stile, which are shown to the guests, are displayed in the upper rooms of Dividend Hall, where they are carefully guarded by special detective officers. The more prominent of the gifts are as follows: Mrs. New Butsolid, a tiara and collar of diamonds ($780,000). Mrs. Muchinprint, a chain of dia- monds and rubies ($300,000). Mrs. Van Damm Expensse, emerald and diamond tiara and brooches of diamonds and emeralds ($440,000). Mr. and Mrs. Leeds Thegang, pair of handsomely wrought gold vases filled with large diamonds, Mr. and Mrs. Synchon Koppah, pair of silver candelabra stuffed with rubies, etc., etc., ete. It is estimated that the flowers alone cost four hundred billions of dollars, The reporters of the New York Jour- nal and The New York Times are drank with excitement. It is rumored that The New York Times intended to give three whole pages to this wedding, but at the last moment less important matter, such as foreign news, births, deaths, art, literature, politics, etc., was allowed to infringe upon the sacred space. Onward. Ts life is dark with duties left un- 4 done And evil done? ’Tis man’s infirmity, No vain regrets! Arise, and face the sun Lead thou thy shadow, let not it lead thee ! ONE OF THE DANGERS OP THE THIRD RAIL. comicbooks.com