Life — July 11, 1912 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Bashful Lover" - Life Magazine Cartoon This is a romantic comedy sketch from *Life* magazine (page 1383). The illustration shows a well-dressed man standing behind a woman seated in an armchair. The caption presents their dialogue: the man claims he narrowly escaped being hit by an automobile, calling it "as close as I am to you," and sarcastically asks if she considers that "a narrow escape." The joke relies on a familiar romantic trope: the bashful suitor attempting intimate contact with a woman who maintains emotional distance or reserve. The cartoon satirizes both male romantic persistence and female resistance to unwanted proximity—a common theme in early 20th-century humor about courtship and social propriety.