Life — February 11, 1909 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Salome" Opera Review - Life Magazine This page reviews Richard Strauss's operatic adaptation of Oscar Wilde's *Salome*, performed at the Metropolitan Opera House. The text critiques the production's sensationalism, noting that the Metropolitan Opera's directors have "always objected to dead-heads" (non-paying attendees) yet staged this morally controversial work. The illustrations show: - **Herod and Salome**: Characters from the biblical narrative adapted by Wilde - **Jokanan**: The beheaded prophet whose severed head Salome demands The satirical angle mocks the opera's graphic violence and sexual content—the "Dance of the Seven Veils" and demand for Jokanan's head—suggesting that despite moral objections elsewhere, sensational material attracts audiences and revenue. The small sidebar jokes about theater employment and sympathy for "under dogs" continue the satirical commentary.