Judge, 1889-12 · page 50 of 53
Judge — December 1889 — page 50: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an advertisement, not a satirical cartoon. The Equitable Life Assurance Society is promoting their new life insurance policy form in Judge magazine's Christmas issue. The ad highlights innovative features for the era: the policy functions like a simple bank draft with no hidden conditions, becomes incontestable after two years, and offers policyholders unrestricted travel and occupation rights after one year. It emphasizes immediate payability and "tontine profits" (a pooled investment structure where surviving policyholders shared accumulated funds). The advertisement lists H.B. Hyde as President and J.W. Alexander as Vice-President, with the main office at 120 Broadway, New York. This represents Equitable's attempt to modernize and simplify life insurance offerings—a significant competitive advantage when policies typically contained restrictive clauses. The placement in Judge suggests this was a prestigious, high-profile promotion targeting the magazine's educated readership.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CHRISTMAS JUDGE THE KQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY'S NEW FORM OF POLICY (LIKE A BANK DRAFT,] IS A SIMPLE PROMISE TO PAY. NO CONDITIONS WHATEVER ON THE BACK. INCONTESTABLE AFTER TWO YEARS. NON-FORFEITABLE AFTER THREE YEARS. UNRESTRICTED AS TO TRAVEL AND OCCUPATION AFTER ONE YEAR. PAYABLE IMMEDIATELY. TONTINE PROFITS. A CHOICE OF SIX METHODS OF SETTLEMENT AT THE END OF THE TONTINE PERIOD. For particulars, apply to the chief office, 120 Broadway, New York, or to any of the Society’s Agencies throughout the United States. H. B. HYDE, presipenr. J. W. ALEXANDER, vice-presivENT. comicbooks.com