Life, 1903-07-16 · page 3 of 20
Life — July 16, 1903 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains three separate satirical pieces about courtship and marriage customs: **The main cartoon** depicts a man seated while a young girl stands before him. The caption indicates he's asking what she told her mother about their encounter—a joke about propriety and parental concerns regarding unmarried couples. **"Her Answer"** presents a humorous poem about a woman who refuses a suitor's advances, fearing gossip. **"His Definite Position"** satirizes labor disputes by having a man invoke union membership to avoid marriage—treating matrimony like a labor negotiation where he won't accept terms without compensation. **"Pride"** shows a wealthy father refusing to support his daughter's marriage to a poor man, valuing social status over her happiness. These pieces mock Victorian-era courtship conventions, class consciousness, and gender dynamics of the early 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Copyright. 1903, by Life Pubilabing Oo, Ethel: 1 saw sisten sittixa oN YOUR LAP Last N © WHAT IN THE WORLD DID You Do TuaT Pon!” “Sie TOLD ME TO LET HER KNOW WHEN THERE WAS ANY GooD News.” Her Answer. ASKED for a kiss and a cup of tea. She looked at me quite roguishly, And said —how can I quite forget ?— “T fear the tea’s not ready yet.” Tom Masson, THE man who is afraid of what people will say deserves it. His Definite Position. HE labor troubles were under dis- cussion, Said Spatts to Dins- more: “ Are you a union man?” “Well,” replied Dinsmore, with a smile, “I am engaged to be married in about a fortnight.” AND TOLD MoTHER. Pride. Vo PORKER: Aren't you satis- fied with that antenuptial set- tlement? Lorp Grarter: No, sir. I don’t want to lose my self-respect after mar- riage by having toran to your daughter for every thousand, comicbooks.com