Life, 1904-12-01 · page 24 of 64
Life — December 1, 1904 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes turn-of-the-century financial manipulation and anti-feminist sentiment. A wealthy financier named Morgfeller stages a public spectacle at Broadway and 42nd Street, introducing an Irish immigrant woman named Bridget Murphy to a crowd, announcing he'll "list" her at the Stock Exchange for men to bid on her services. The satire operates on multiple levels: Morgfeller exploits class divisions and xenophobia (the "Celtic" immigrant woman) to distract the public from his schemes. The male characters' dialogue reveals the era's misogyny—they blame women for "overrunning the whole place" and welcome Morgfeller as a "liberator" from female influence, despite recognizing his exploitation. The cartoon mocks both the financier's cynical manipulation of public opinion and the working men's willingness to embrace a scheme that degrades women, revealing how prejudice and economic anxiety made the public vulnerable to exploitation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ Gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you Bridget Murphy.” line, howls of fury rent the air. Could it be that Morg- His adherents, lined up on one side, His enemies, lined up on the other side, feller was afraid? scorned the idea. jeered in derision Suddenly there was a vast shout. The two friends, look- ing down the line, saw a startling sight. An open victoria flanked by a company of soldiers was coming. In the vic- toria were two figures—a man and a woman! The man, as became immediately evident, was the pri- vate secretary. The woman about fifty. Her face, mistakably Celtic, was wrinkled with innumerable lines. he was gaunt, raw-boned, ug What could it mean? It became evident, however, that Morgfeller had plans of his own, which the man whom he had chosen to repre- sent him was amply empowered to carry out That individual, as the victoria arrived at the intersection of Broadway and Forty-second Street, motioned to the rose and addressed the multi- and frock unkempt driver to stop. Then he tude. He was faultlessly groomed, in a silk coat, and presented a strange contrast to his audience, “Gentlemen,” he said, waving his hand in the direction of his companion, ow me to introduce to you Bridget Murphy. 1 am taking her down to the Stock Exchange, where she will be duly listed. Every man in this city will have an opportunity to bid upon her services.” The carriage moved on again amid a dense uproar. “So,” said MeFerson, “this is Morgfeller’s game. He is certainly a master hand at finance. He has shrewdly played upon one of the most powerful forces in human nature, by creating a division among all men themselves. If it were not for fellows like you, he wouldn't live a mo- ment. But through you he has succeeded in making a di- vision of public opinion, while he reaps the profit.” “That's only partially true,” retorted Spinnerton, warm- ly. “Don't blame me, or men like me. The fault lies with the women. They are, as usual, at the bottom of the ca The fact is, they have been overrunning the whole place. And we chaps with our noses to the grindstone so long cannot but welcome a benefactor like Morgfeller. Women have made slaves of us, and he comes as a liberator, and he’s entitled to make money out of this deal. But I warn him in advance that if he permits things to lapse comicbooks.com