Life, 1906-11-08 · page 22 of 30
Life — November 8, 1906 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This single cartoon on the page depicts a deaf man apologizing to hearing people, apparently for not responding to a noise. The humor—which would register differently to modern readers—relies on the period's common stereotype of deaf people as objects of ridicule. The caption reads: "B-B-REG YOUR PARDON—I HEARD A N-N-NOISE AND THOUGHT IT WAS MY MOTHER-IN-LAW AT THE ICE CHEST." The stutter in his speech attempts comedic effect through mockery of his disability. The joke operates on multiple levels: the absurdity of a deaf person claiming to have "heard" a noise, combined with the era's standard mother-in-law ridicule humor. The page itself includes a serious article titled "Deafness: A Consideration of the Predicament of Deaf Persons and how it may Best be Endured," suggesting Life mixed earnest disability advocacy with cruel caricature—a stark contradiction reflecting early 20th-century attitudes toward disability and humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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