Life, 1903-07-23 · page 9 of 28
Life — July 23, 1903 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page satirizes social pretension through the story of a dismissed coachman. The top cartoon shows a wealthy gentleman in a carriage pulled by horses, representing upper-class transportation and status. The title "Plebeian Particularity" mocks the coachman's complaint that he wanted "regular" pay—suggesting working-class people are oddly fussy about reasonable wages. The joke targets both class attitudes: the employer's dismissal for the coachman's reasonable demands, and the irony that such modest expectations are labeled "ambitious." The three bird illustrations below appear unrelated editorial content about British fauna (the Milestrutter/Wall cock, Platoon/Ross bird, and Chauncey bird), typical of Life's miscellaneous satirical format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TUE MILESTRUTTER, OR COCK OP THE WALK. Once s very usefal bird, driving out and ex- terminating the red pests of the Western plains. Since tt has been transported to the Eastern mill tary reserve Is principal occupation ts showing ois plumage On the slightest excuse it brings forth {ts fall regalia and struts magnificently About for the benefit of all beholders. This Is & rare asight, and fully demonstrates that fue feathers make fice birds. PLEBEIAN PARTICULARITY. '¥E MAD TO DISMISS OUR COACHMAN.” Pon WHAT REASON" “ol, UF GOT TOO AMBITIOUS. ME WANTED TO BE PAID REOCLANLY.” TRE PLATTOM, OR Boss RIND. An up-the-State fowl that emigrates to Wash- picid amaettide ches tngton. It leads an easy life, feeding from Itsown Much like a parrot—ts @ great talker, repeating pond and fighting away allother birds, Itbullds anything it lias heard. 1s fond of roosting in & very secure nest which 1s beantifally feathered. prominent places, etc., etc, comicbooks.com