Life, 1913-03-06 · page 24 of 72
Life — March 6, 1913 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page satirizes the potential visit of King Alfonso XIII of Spain (referred to as "Alphonso") to America. The top cartoon shows a Pied Piper leading a chaotic crowd, likely representing how the Spanish king might attract unwanted attention or followers. The text humorously warns that if Alfonso tried to travel incognito in Westchester County, he'd be arrested for vagrancy—suggesting American authorities wouldn't recognize or defer to foreign royalty. The satire mocks both the Spanish court's formality ("incognito") and American egalitarianism: even a lowly office boy would supposedly put a king in his place. The bottom illustration titled "Among the Uninvited" appears to show the king's potential undignified encounters with American law enforcement and society, reinforcing the joke that America offers no special privileges for European monarchs.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE PIED PIPER, THE PERVERSE PUBLIC AND THE quite possible that Alphonso might want to become (as they say in court circles) incog- nito. He might want to take a walk, for example, somewhere in Westchester County. + Imagine what would happen to this interest- ing King if he could make this attempt. He would promptly be arrested for vagrancy and would come, after a series of interesting ex- periences, into intimate contact with our AMONG THE UNINVITED PV Wm Ke A PERSISTENT PARSON courts. If Alphonso thinks that we have noth- ing on the Court of Spain he needs only to meet (upon a business basis) some of our most popular magistrate: No, Alphonso. Don't be afraid, if you come to this country, that you will run short of kingly prerogatives. The first American office boy that you meet must convince you to the contrary. comicbooks.com