Life, 1886-02-25 · page 14 of 16
Life — February 25, 1886 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It's from Life's Spring 1886 issue and features luxury goods marketed to wealthy Americans. The main advertisement is for **Redfern**, a prestigious ladies' tailor with locations on Fifth Avenue and Broadway in New York. The ornate coat-of-arms suggests European prestige; Redfern specializes in custom clothing for activities like tennis, yachting, and coaching—markers of upper-class leisure. Other advertisements include Baker's Cocoa, language instruction, and notably **Allen's Cocaine Tablets**—sold over-the-counter for throat and nerve ailments. This reflects 1880s medical practice when cocaine was legal and marketed as therapeutic. The brief story about "The Chocolate Girl" describes a portrait of a Viennese café worker who married a nobleman—romanticizing working-class femininity for wealthy readers. The page reflects Gilded Age consumer culture: luxury imported goods, leisure activities, and early pharmaceutical marketing to affluent audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“The most noted firm of Ladies’ Tailors in the world and (be it said) the most Original.”"—Extract Court Journal. —=2 SPECIALITIES == — WALKING, TRAVELING, TENNIS, YACHTING, SPORTING, COACHING Coats, Mantles and Hats. 210 FIFTH AVENUE, ***ansv NEW YORK. Suits, % ConburT $., LoxDON. ‘ma BROADWAY, W YORK. Biss REDFERN 210 FIFTH AVENUE 1132 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. (NEXT DELMONICO'S), SPRING SEASON, 1886. M* REDFERN is now prepared to show his new and ORIGINAL designs in Gowns, Coats, etc., for the ensuing season—the cloths employed by him being either made by or exclu- am sively for his Firm, present an individuality not to ‘ be obtained elsewhere. fe) GOLD MEDAL, PARIS, 1878, BAKER'S “ Second Series, Price, $2.00. “LIFE’S VERSES!” Composed of the best poems, selected from “* LIFE, * beautifully bound and illustrated. Cover in colors, The | daintiest book ever published. . Price, $1.50, Warranted absolutely sure Cocoa, from which the excess of Oil haa been removed. It haa three times the strength of Cocoa mized with Starch, Arrowroot or Sugar, and ts therefore far more econom!- cal, costing less than one cent @ cup. It is delicious, nourishing, strengthening, easily digested, and admirably adapted for invalids as well as for persons in health. Sold by Grocers everywhere. Rich S. Roseathal’s celebrated MEL’ ascents, Liberal Terms to Teachers. | French, German, Spanish, Italian. | YOU cas, by ten weeks’ sad, master elther of theve lenguages sufficiently for every-day and business conversation, by Dr. ‘Terms, $5.00 for books of each language, with privilege of answers | toall questions, and correction of exercises. Sample copy, Part t., | 1S Meisterschaft Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. Box 7275. ISTERSCHAFT SYSTEM. Ins W. BAKER & CO., Dorchester, Mass The Chocolate Girl. Possibly most of the people who are familiar with the picture of the chocolate girl, used for so long as an advertisement, think it a creation of some artist's fancy. On the contrary, it is a portrait, the portrait of a very pretty Viennese woman, and has a romantic story attached to it. It seems that some years ago a young German student of noble birth fell in love with the pretty chocolate girl who served him with this delicious beverage in a Vienna café. She was a respectable girl and he an honor- able gentleman ; and he married her. He felt proud per? * Ad Also, THE goon" T THINGS OF LIFE.” “LIFE.” 1133 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. _ ’ && SERKYS’ TEA. DIRECT FROM THE ORIENT. It is composed of flowers, and pe in the wevlas “ietesoney an plaples iat fons ted dens Kidney, alariat and Nefvows Compass ibe in sytsed trosbles pecstiar to women, Tavaluahie Pretoangretrening Sep. “Ask your Gragyst tori. Price $2. and Vantine’s, 877 Broadway, N. For the THROAT and NERVES. NERVOUSNESS, HEADACHE, COLDS AND SLEEPLESSNESS. Send remittance by check to order of | ay JGUARANTEED THE GENUINE SERKYS also ie Gives ‘astant reliel, Serkys’ Tea Company, No. s4 West 24d St., and CURE SORE THROAT, NEURALGIA, A Benefit to Vocalists, Actors and Elocutionists. PRICE soc. a Box, aT DRUGGISTS OR BY MAIL, ALLEN. COCAINE MANUFACTURING CO., 1254 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. of her humble origin, and had her portrait painted by a famous German’ artist in the picturesque cos- tume she wore when he first met her; and this portrait is now among the most valued art treas- ures of the covernment. STERBR STEEL PENS. For Sale by all Stationers. OOK’S SUPERIOR, STANBARD, RELIABLE. Leading Nos. 048, 14, 130, 333, 161. ‘Warehouse: 26 sohn Street, New York. comicbooks.com