Life, 1904-12-01 · page 31 of 64
Life — December 1, 1904 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical stories illustrated by James Montgomery Flagg: **"A Coquette's Christmas Dream"** (top): A dark fantasy where Mother Goose's cozy Christmas homecoming is interrupted when a giant hand seizes her from the house. The surreal horror suggests anxieties about domestic security or serves as cautionary Christmas tale. **"False Alarm"** (bottom): Social satire mocking wealthy vanity. Lady Millicent attends the opera wearing conspicuous diamonds. When she dramatically removes her cloak to display them, her glittering jewels cause someone to shout "Fire!" The resulting panic—firefighters hosing her down—humbles her pretension. The moral: ostentatious wealth display invites ridicule and misfortune. Both stories use exaggerated scenarios to mock human folly: supernatural intrusion on domesticity and the social consequences of vanity. The humor targets both supernatural superstition and upper-class pretension.
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the door, and the children flew to let their mother in. It was Mother Goose beaming all over and hugging her children to her snowy breast. ‘It's Christmas eve, and I'm home again!” said’ the happy goose, as the little twins snuggled up to her. ‘'Close the door, Tumble,’ said Mr. Goose, smiling fondly at his good w “Don’t you see how the snow is coming in?” It was too late.- As Tumble tried to close it a huge hand came down—a clutching hand—into the warm room, and seizing Mother Goose around her soft white neck, lifted her out of the house back into the snowy night, and a faint odor of sage and onions came down the chimney. James Montgomery Flagg. False Alarm. HE opera season was at its height. Lady Millicent, carefully adjust- ing her tiara, had entered the third box on the lower tie: The manager was in his counting- house counting out his money. A COQUETTE’S CHRISTMAS DREAM. The Prima Donna was in her dress- ing-room eating throat tablets. erybody was waiting for the cur- tain to rise, when they could talk louder. Lady Millicent still had on her opera cloak. She had a bosom full of diamonds, that she was determined to spring on the audience For a moment she hesi- tated, and then, throwing aside her cloak, faced the stage. A cry of “'Fire!” rang out immediately. Blinded by the intense glare, several people became panic- stricken. It took only three min- utes for the engines to arrive. The chief of the fire de- partment directed the hose to be turned on Lady Millicent at onc2, Covering her with a tarpaulin, she was then removed to her home. “Never again,” said Lady Millicent, mournfully, “will I make such a dis- play.” December. ) comicbooks.com