Life, 1885-12-17 · page 15 of 18
Life — December 17, 1885 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertising page** from Life magazine, with one small political cartoon. The main satirical content is a brief two-panel farmer comic: **The Cartoon:** A farmer declares his land "seems to be very fertile," but his companion responds that even when crops fail, "the taxes on it always grow." This is a **critique of agricultural taxation**—a common complaint in the Gilded Age that farmers faced heavy property taxes regardless of harvest success, making farming economically precarious. The joke targets government taxation policy as burdensome to rural workers. **The Advertisements:** The page is otherwise dominated by late-Victorian consumer goods: women's clothing, bed linens, cocaine tablets (then legal), dancing lessons, and theater announcements. The cocaine ad is particularly striking to modern readers—it was marketed as a legitimate medicinal product for throat and nerve ailments. The overall effect reflects how Life balanced political satire with commercial content typical of 1890s American magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
: LIFE - HENRIETTE FRAME, ; ROBES and $0000000000. BED LINENS. MANTEAUX,/NO CAPITAL REQUIRED me Solicits an inspection of to enable any person of ordinary inte lisence to make {rom JAMES McCREERY & CO. some very beautiful designs | $;t0 $20aday. We will pa IT LAR cash on for evening dress, wraps svery sabecription takes Sor the mont porular $2 Weekly Havi ‘ evening oper in Amerika. Never was such a large commissicn and Street Costaineh selet, «fired belcre Te: even the smallest tows agen can ob- aving purchased an Importer’s luring her trip abroad, | tain sev subscrilers every day the year round, and ; ' i Saitable fer Fall and Winter, thus ake more money than they eral yoherscher.|StOCk of Linen Sheeting, Bolster : Fae descriptive pamphlet writ ‘ Out of town orders receive | ‘fH RDENBROOK'@ CO., 240 B'way,N.¥.|and Pillow-case Linens, &c., at special attention. Perfect 2 fit guaranteed on receipt of = |prices much below cost of impor- bier sinictics tation, offer the same at the fol- lowing unusually low prices: 232 West 22d Street, NEW YORK. _ : i : PREJUDICE IS A THIEF. . Ta-inch Sheeting, s0c., Goc., 75¢. per yd. and up. And will rob you of many good things. a. : 8 “ S5c., 6sc., foc. “ |. They ha zl ” Ose cigarettes are a8 ine as can be produced. They have so Gcc., 75 the pocket sor gec., St, S1.35 x ‘Oyposed to a ie them of your desiet, sted to the 100 40 ** Pillow Linen, asc., 3¢¢., 35¢. e “ SrC., 35¢., 4cee 4s 0 cy sy + SEC. 45C-, S0€., Boe. above embraces the best }makes of French, Irish, Saxory, | Scotch and Barnsley, in all grades : NI E $ TO BE VERY . ae THIs LAND SEEMS TO and widths. Farmer: QUITE SO, EVEN IF THE CROPS DO FAIL, THE TAXES ON IT ALWAYS GROW. tifal holi- me he er JAMES McCREERY & CO., There is a week's Ssjopmen ioe cane bound ~ for thos ho di ak St. Nichol: } B d dilth $ Forthe ltl its af one, get Baby Word $ Prizes to Ladies roadway and ith St. will its ;00 trate 4 o1 pote ah ie goo poral Mlenrated ge ret | p5O0.—Frizes t 200 songs by distinguished com By L. PRANG & CO., rs written ~ Beoksellesor write for catalogue ton | For Emsysoa Christmas Cars. For rants apply o| HOLIDAY PRESENTS. The Century Co, 33 East 17th St. N.Y. the dealers in cards. All respectable dealers keep ALEXANDER MACGREGOR'S PRANGS CHRISTMAS CARDS. |A Choice Line of Dacuestan, TurkisH and SCHOOL FOR DANCING, II2 FIFTH AVENUE. Family Classes every day. air “Private Lessons any hour daily. rotor et | JOSEPH WILD & CO., pens For the THROAT and NERVES. | | Persian RUGS ar Low Prices. 82 and 84 Worth St., near B'way. CURE SORE THROAT, NEURALGIA, NERVOUSNESS, HEADACHE, COLDS AND SLEEPLESSNESS. | AMUSEMENTS, A Benefit to Vocalists, Actors and Elocutionists. EDEN MUSEE, 234 St., bet. sth & 6th Aves. OPEN YROM 13 TO 1. SUNDAYS 110 48, x aa ALWAYS SOMETHING New. PRICE soc. a Box, aT DRUGGISTS OR BY MAIL. Miss MARY ANDERSON as “*Galates.** fp Miss HELENE DAUVRAY in “One ef Oct Girl.” py ALLEN COCAINE MANUFACTURING CO., Concerts Afternoon ant Evening by the e Y 125, BROADWAY, NEW YORK. ORIGINAL EDEN MUSEE ORCHESTRA. -HimssHON 4 CUE, ChiktWwn. 95 cin, “ AJEEB,” THE MYSTERIOUS CHESS AUTOMATON, ESTABLISHED 1853. | : «Home Exerciser” Ds. THEATRE, BROADWAY & yoth ST H B KI RK & CO Yor trals-werkers and eodex'ary pecpie, Under the manarement of MR_ AUGUSTIN DALY. . . * Gentlemen, Ladies and Youths; the Ath- THE oErey tee Laer, itis ter Invalid, A complete gymnasium. | AGI: E. GREAT COMEDY SUCCESS. 1158 Broadway, cor. 27th St. Takes ip ba stic eqeere Geopeeanjtene | LAH SAADA RENAN, De 69 FULTON STREET, anp 9 WARREN STREET. es EVERY icut,| . Clbtrs . cheap, Send fer circular. Hom! WINE MERCHANTS & GROCERS. VOR PHYSICAL CULTURE,” 16 East 14th Street, N.Y. City. Prof. Bats. A full line of FINE IMPORTED CLARETS at BEST | pL. pow. VALUE ever offered, $4.02 per case and upwards, YCEUM THEATRE, ath Ave, and aad Street, Special importet lent, e, St. aliens Chat-Haut Brion ALFO D we Ps _ Under. the monneement ot Jee fiers, ; aw Haut Bages. H wenings at €: ee at 2, fhe iii: tog Vokes au textes de ad Unparalleled Success of Bronson Hox era's New Socitty EQUAL to the FINEST GRADES of Pontet Canet, Aig ‘ per ease ; in 5-case lots, $9.25; to-case lots, $9.00. SRE SAUC -E A CAREFULLY SELECTED STOCK OF oN < ames, F 3 Pigott Vi Si 4, CALIFORNIA AND OTHER AMBRICAN WINES THE GREAT RELISH. Figer: ¥ nceat Sterwrord