Life — August 28, 1924 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis: "A Woman for the Ages" This page presents a biographical profile of Lucy Frances Higginbotham, described as "Five Times First Lady of the Land"—a historical figure who was married successively to U.S. Presidents Tyler, Pierce, Buchanan, and Jefferson Davis (Confederate President). The illustration shows a woman in an elaborate dress observing a Civil War battle scene, referencing her dramatic life spanning multiple presidencies and the nation's greatest conflict. The accompanying narrative traces her from an uneducated girl in rural Vermont through her wartime service as a nurse (compared to Florence Nightingale), her Civil War-era divided loyalties, and her eventual death in 1874 New York. "The Red Badge" section appears to be a separate short story or anecdote on the same page.