Life, 1886-01-07 · page 1 of 16
Life — January 7, 1886 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Elevation Railroad" - Life Magazine, January 7, 1886 This satirical cartoon depicts a crowded elevated train car with two well-dressed men (labeled as "Conductor" and "Rector") conversing above working-class passengers. The dialogue mocks the operators' indifference to overcrowding and safety concerns. The joke centers on the elevated railroad's notorious poor conditions in 1880s New York. When a passenger (Mary Susan) complains about dangerous overcrowding, the conductor dismissively responds that if the last depot was "better yer face an'" the next is a "break yer necks," passengers shouldn't complain about the "elevation railroad"—sarcastically suggesting the only thing "elevated" is the fare, while conditions remain deplorable. This critiques both the railroad company's negligence and class indifference to working passengers' welfare.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| VOLUME VII. "NEW YORK, JANUARY 7, 1886. NUMBER 158. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1805, by MITCHELL & MILLER. yan ee TF oa. TF THE ELEVATION RAILROAD. Conductor shouts : BATTERY PLACE, AND RECTOR NEXT. Mary Susan (a little deaf) : BE WE INSOORED, GEORGE HENRY ?. George Henry: NO, MARY SUSAN, WE AIR NOT—WHY ? M, S.:/Mercy on us! IF THE LAST DEPOT WAS BATTER YER FACE AN’ THE NEXT 18 BREAK YER NECKS, THE ONE FOLLERIN WILL FINISH US, 1 RECKQN—NO WONDER HEY CALL THIS THE ELEVATION RAILROAD. val O . ! comicbooks.com