Life, 1903-10-15 · page 1 of 24
Life — October 15, 1903 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a romantic illustration with satirical dialogue. A woman with the fashionable Gibson Girl hairstyle of the era sits with a man in conversation. The caption reads: "Oh, you're not such a desirable parti. Very few nice girls would marry you." / "Very few would be enough." The humor mocks early 1900s courtship rituals and marriage expectations. The man's response—suggesting he needs only a few options rather than universal desirability—is presented as charmingly pragmatic rather than romantic. This reflects contemporary anxieties about bachelor eligibility and the marriage market among upper-class Americans. The elaborate decorative header marks this as premium editorial content in Life's satirical commentary on social customs.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XLII. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 16, 1903. NUMBER 1094. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mall Matter. Copyright, 1902, by LiPE PUBLISHING ComPaNy. we —— “ “on, You'RR NOT SUCH A DYSIRABLE parti, VERY PRW NICR GIRLS WOULD MARRY You.” “VERY FEW WOULD HE ENOUGH.” comicbooks.com