Life — October 22, 1903 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A College Rose" - Life Magazine, Page 383 This page features a portrait illustration and accompanying poem by Feliz Carmen satirizing a young woman college student. The poem mockingly describes a "candidate for college" who is seventeen, pretty, and confident she'll charm her professors with her "captivating eyes." The satire targets early 20th-century attitudes about women's higher education—particularly the assumption that female students would rely on beauty and charm rather than serious academic engagement. The poem's tone is dismissive, suggesting she'll pursue "Science" and "Philosophy and Letters" superficially, while remaining primarily focused on romance ("speaks of Love as stupid"). The portrait's refined style contrasts with the poem's sardonic critique of this stereotype.