Life — January 13, 1887 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Messenger Boy" (Life Magazine) This is a satirical comic strip chronicling a messenger boy's workday, mocking his irresponsibility and the inevitable failure of his delivery mission. The narrative follows a young boy tasked with delivering an urgent letter and given five cents for carfare. Instead of completing his job, he squanders the money on a story paper, gets distracted by street dogs, wastes hours sliding on pavement, daydreams about wealth, and pitches pennies with another negligent messenger boy. By evening, realizing the hour is late, he abandons his responsibility entirely—discovering the recipient has moved, he simply drops the letter in the basement and returns to report. The satire ridicules working-class youth's lack of work ethic and attention span, while implying broader incompetence in service industries. It's a humorous commentary on the unreliability of errand boys—a common occupation for poor children in early 20th-century America—and indirectly critiques the system that depended on such undisciplined labor.