Life, 1886-02-11 · page 1 of 16
Life — February 11, 1886 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Friends" - Life Magazine, February 11, 1886 This satirical cartoon depicts two women at a fireplace discussing social etiquette around tipping and payment. The dialogue mocks the pretense of wealthy society: Miss Clara complains that a gentleman gave her a $10 bill to pay for a $2 tidy but refused to wait for change. Her friend responds that a man similarly gave her a dollar for a trifle without accepting change. The satire targets upper-class hypocrisy about money. By refusing change, these men perform generosity while actually overpaying—a way to appear wealthy while avoiding the awkwardness of small transactions. The cartoon ridicules this performative class signaling among the era's privileged set, exposing the artificiality of their social conventions.
📄 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, FEBRUARY 11, 1886. NUMBER 163. Entered at New York Post Office as Sevond-Class Mail Matter, Copyright, 1886, by MITCHELL & MILLER. FRIENDS. Miss Clara (déscussing the church fair); \WE ARE DOING SPLENDIDLY AT MY TABLE. Last EVENING A GENTLEMAN GAVE ME A TEN-DOLLAR BILL TO PAY FOR A TWO-DOLLAR TIDY AND WOULD ONLY ACCEPT FIVE JOLLARS IN CHANGE. WASN'T THAT NICE IN HIM? Miss Ethel (ufith a little cough): VERY. LAST EVENING A GENTLEMAN GAVE ME A TWENTY- DOLLAR BILL TO PAY FOR SOME TRIFLE AND WENT OFF WITHOUT WAITING FOR ANY CHANGE Miss Claraf(with the same style of cough); Yes, | SUPPOSE IT WAS WORTH THAT TO HIM TO comicbooks.com