Life, 1885-12-24 · page 16 of 19
Life — December 24, 1885 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertising page** from Life's Christmas number, with one small editorial cartoon. The main cartoon ("The Compliments of the Season") shows a visitor arriving at a host's home on New Year's Day. The joke plays on social obligation: the visitor appears uninvited and overeager, while the host makes excuses about the timing being premature. This satirizes the ritualistic nature of New Year's calling—a Victorian social custom where people made formal visits on January 1st. The humor lies in the host's transparent reluctance masked by polite convention. The page is otherwise dominated by period advertisements: a dress shop, St. Nicholas magazine, Allen's Cocaine Tablets (a legitimate medicinal product at the time), a dancing school, and wine merchants. The cocaine advertisement notably advertises the drug for throat problems and "nervousness"—reflecting late-19th-century medical practice before cocaine's dangers were widely understood. The small story excerpt about Christmas wishes satirizes consumer excess through a child's perspective, suggesting even children grew weary of constant gift-giving.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HENRIETTE FRAME; ROBES and MANTEAUX, Solicits an inspection of some very beautiful designs for evening dress, wraps and Street Costumes, select- ed during her trip abroad, suitable for Fall and Winter, Out of town orders receive special attention, Perfect measurement, FA 232 West 22d Street, _ a NEW YORK. __ di THE JAN’Y ST. NICHOLAS ONTAINS a very funny story by W. D. f C Howells, illustrated by his little daugh- I ter, all about a little girl who wanted it to be Christmas every day for a whole year,and the Christ- mas fairy fit guaranteed on receipt of OR U No. YOUR COPY OF «DIFRY” CHRISTMAS NUMBER. SUPERBLY ILLUSTRATED. FOR Hy ranted | ' er wish. E£ | By and by q ‘ople got | peo PRICE TWENTY CENTS. a I} sick of ln presents | and candy sp Coe eerie OF THE SEASON: SEND ORDERS BEFORE ENTIRE the | and tir Visitor: A Harry New Year, SiR! U; key and Host: “THANK YOU, THANK YOU; BUT WE ARE NOT RE- EDITION IS EXHAUSTED. Yu'm. | CelviNe T118 year. Dipw'r You see THE BASKET AT THE . P ‘ddi DOOR, AND—REALLY YOU ARE RATHER EARLY. it om he To sitrixc Down = pudding I DIDN'T COME IN BY THE DOOR, AND IT IS om Dolte _ , othey ED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE. THE EARLY | came every day—St. Valentine’s Day and YOU UNDERSTAND ? the Fourth of July and all About the middle a | - _ = of October the little girl “took to sitting down on dolls,— French dolls, or any kind ESTABLISHED 1853, H fh Mi. a LM SLA she hated the sight of them so; and by 333] PE ‘Thanksgiving she wascrazy,andjust slammed - as her presents across the room. By that time H . B. K I RK & CO., [POR 1 Ta ETiFTInG THE cOMPLENION. I people didn’t carry presents around nicely 1158 Broadway, cor. 27th St. faaving 1 any more. They flung them over the fence, - | 69 FULTON STREET, axp 9 WARREN STREET. or trough the window or anything} and, WINE MERCHANTS & GROCERS. By | instead of running their tongucs out an 4 = ing great pains to write “For dear Papa’ * A AIATUE ever oferede Seco per cascand upeardes | = — wh or whoever it was, and then signing thei bens o7 ie , i names and Xmas, 185-/ they used to write |’! “mfortetions of St fallen, Chat-Hant Brioe| © MAKER OF FINE JEWELRY. “ in the gift-books: ‘Take it, you horrid old The latter 1875 Vintage and bottled in 1880, and = Bou thing!’ and then go and bangitagainstthe | EQUAL to the FINEST GRADES of Pontet. Canet. i: | front door.” The January St. NICHOLAS is }9-50 per case ; in s-case lots, $9.25; 10-case lots, $9.00. < Z wi a capital number, and it costs but 25 cents. A CAREFULLY SELECTED STOCK OF > . HI Hi All the dealers sell it and take subscriptions CALIFORNIA AND OTHER AMERICAN WINES ¥ E. | 4 - __ Tue Century Co, New-York. AND CLARETS. Sold He — a N’S° = For the THROAT and NERVES. HENRY C. HASKELL, 5 E SORE THROAT, NEURALGIA ee eee f CURE SORE THROAT, . idan mie : j i NERVOUSNESS, HEADACHE, _idmibecBon favited le Novelties for Holidays. Bi: y COLDS AND SLEEPLESSNESS. Mrs, SMITHSON (who flatters herself upon her pe j ; ‘ a 1 ar, | A Benett to Voestns, Actors and Bioeuinits, [eae ePPatO sen foc ean ys apt : — believe it?” i 6’ PRICE soc. A Box, aT DRUGGISTS OR BY MAIL, Jones (looking in the wrong direction); “Your out fi . daughter! Is it possible ! I should have guessed ABY ALLEN COCAINE MANUFACTURING CO., et eT Not thé indy you sie iaectee Art e pie RL Nene Maat at, Mr, Jones; she is my mother” z | iser??| Jones: Oh!"—Boston Transcript. ALEXANDER MACGREGOR'S | “Home Exerciser” | _J dela chao H Yer trsis-werkere acd sedentary pecple, SCHOOL FOR DANCING, | cccecrin. se" Gur ite Ones and The Nurse Family Cla eaves eee “ wis Geter sack suas anckaooat one’ - ly Classes every day. ‘Takes up but 6 ach square floor-room, some- A most appropriate Private Le: s he daily. Foe Een ae Se cny ew ting yan debe comorbenre,| | EQ pnd acceptable present Ww = = POR PHYSICAL CULTURE,” 16 East ath Street, N.Y. City, Prof. re § rears subscrt with PREJUDICE IS A THIEF. | -t-Down. > tdrature, Dha And will rob you of many good things. HALFO D we than wily Vecorlimprovets i pechard fer dry Wit aieays Specimen copy free. Each you in the threats” If you are mot epposed to ye wor eale Py Newoaeeere manulacturers for a sample, WN One Year, $1.50. Single C: 1S ct WM. 8. BALL ss +50. je Copies, 1S cts, KIM ae THE GREAT RELISH. Ruseoll Publishing Co- 36 Bremfeld St Boston. Mass. : Enclose three Red Stamps. ROCHESTER, N.Y. Z comicbooks.com