Judge, 1888-12 · page 48 of 51
Judge — December 1888 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **no satire or cartoon**—it's a competitive advertising spread from Judge magazine's Christmas 1888 issue. Two major New York life insurance companies present side-by-side advertisements. The **Mutual Life Insurance Co.** (left), led by Richard A. McCurdy, showcases $118 million in assets and impressive growth figures from 1845–1888. The **New-York Life Insurance Company** (right), led by William H. Beers, emphasizes its innovation: "nonforfeiture policies" and "mortuary-dividend" systems—offering both investment returns during life and guaranteed death benefits. This reflects late-19th-century competition in the emerging life insurance industry. The "purely mutual" designation means policyholders shared profits, not external shareholders. The detailed asset growth and policy features suggest Judge's readers were educated, affluent men considering insurance options. The page demonstrates how satirical magazines monetized through premium advertisements targeting their upscale audience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CHRISTMAS JUDGE “+ LARGEST] © BEST13 THE MuTuAL LIFE INSURANCE Co. OF NEW YORK. RICHARD A. McCURDY, - - — President. POORLY Assets Over, - - $448,000,000. Every Desirable Form ot Policy. IT HAS PAID MEMBERS SINCE ITS ORGANIZATION Over $257,000,000. Its NEW Distribution Policy is the most liberal ever | offered by any Insurance Company. . The following figures show the growth of the Assets of The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York FROM 1845 TO 1888, Reckoning a period of cvery ten years from 1845: 1845 - - - $97,490.34 1855 - - - - 2,850,077.56 1865 - - - 12,235,407.86 1875 - - - - 12,446,970.06 1885 - : - 103,876,178.51 Jan. 11,1886 - - : - 108,908,967.51 “1, 1887 : - - 114,181,963.24. “ 1,1888 - - - - 118,806,851.88 ORGANIZED 1845. PURELY MUTUAL. NrEw-YorK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. WILLIAM H. BEERS, - - President. Originated Nonforfeiture Policies, and the Mortuary. Dividend, or Premium-Retarn, System. The NEW-YORK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY ISSUES a/d ap- proved forms of policies on the purely mutual plan. Also, POLICIES WHICH. FURNISH— 1,—INSURANCE AND A GOOD INVESTMENT, if 2 man lives. The NEW-YORK LIFE’S Nonforfeiting Free Tontine Policies, by a new adjustment of premium to risk, and by i improved methods of dealing with surplus and reserve, now offer K Good Investment, in connection with the protection | of an insurance during a period of ten, fifteen, or twenty years. .—INSURANCE AND A GUARANTEED MORTUARY-DIVIDEND, if be dies. IN CASE OF DEATH during these periods the Company will Guarantee @ Mortuary-Dividend to be paid (with the deatb-claim) equal to one-half, or all, premiums that shall have been paid on the policy. Do not insure until you bave seen full particulars of these policies. Do not fail to write the nearest Agent, or the Home Office, for such particulars—at once. The NEW-YORK LIFE INSURANCE C0., 346 and 348 Broadway, New York City. comicbooks.com