Life, 1905-02-16 · page 11 of 24
Life — February 16, 1905 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical sketch depicts an upper-class musical performance. The cartoon mocks the pretensions of wealthy American households through exaggerated contrasts: formally dressed men conduct or supervise while women play piano, suggesting rigid gender and class hierarchies in domestic entertainment. The "stately music room" title is likely ironic, given the somewhat chaotic arrangement of figures and the hint of performance anxiety visible in the sketched poses. This reflects early 20th-century satire of nouveau riche American society attempting to emulate European cultural refinement. The accompanying text about salad recipes and brief comedic exchanges ("Which?") suggests the page satirizes both domestic aspirations and the trivial concerns of fashionable households—mocking how Americans sought cultural sophistication while remaining preoccupied with superficial matters.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Some New Salads. NT the fashionable craze for ange fruit salads, a writer in Bad Housekeeping, and another in the Laziest Home Journal, have given the following recipes which they swear they have tried, and yet lived to give to the world: Sausage Salad—Procure six large country sausages; remove the interior of each and fill with orange marma- lade ; place on crisp lettuce leaves, sea- son with ‘nne and the usual French dressing. Serve hot or cold, as pre- ferred Canned Apricot Salad—Procure an old tin of apricots, which your grand- mother put up years ago (but remember the ptomaine). Stuff with thin, deli- cate slices of kidney and shivers of “TIRE. GLIMPSES OF SOME AMERICAN HOMES, A STATELY MUSIC ROOM French prunes; soak overnight in olive oil, (A particularly delicious dish for Sunday night tea.) Maraschino Che: Salad — Take rich fruit cake, cut into three-inch cubes; to form a cup, hollow the top of each to the depth of an inch and a half; fill openings with a salmis of picked-up codfish and maraschino cher- ries, To serve, place cubes on large platter and garnish dish with spinach and ice cream. (Excellent at any time of year.) Charles Hanson Towne. Supreme. ” Dex you think she knows a great deal, for a girl who has never had any advantages?"’ “But she has had advantages. She has been kept out of school most of her life.” Which ? H, how his dream rose high on Hope What time he saw the envelope Wherein, for his impatient eye, He knew was penned her heart-reply !— Rose high on Hope, then, like a wall, Swift tottered toward despondent fall Refore the stroke of Doubt, to stand Erect again ‘neath Faith's firm hand. His trembling fingers broke the seal— What would the hidden page reveal ? Intent he plucked it forth, and lo, Her answer! Was it “tyes” or no"? Clinton Scollard, THEL: I hear that Mrs. Newwed is taking the Jiu Jitsu training. Mavupe: Well, she had to do some- thing to enable her to handle that baby. comicbooks.com