Life, 1887-10-27 · page 1 of 16
Life — October 27, 1887 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine, October 27, 1887 This page features a satirical cartoon illustrating a dialogue between a child and mother about the term "colic bill." The child asks what a colic bill is, and the mother responds that it's a Latin term for stomach-ache—a humorous deflection suggesting she won't discuss the actual subject matter with her child. The illustration depicts a woman and child in a rural setting beside a gnarled tree, rendered in Victorian-era engraving style. The joke appears to rely on double meaning: "colic bill" likely references a legislative proposal or political controversy of 1887 that the mother considers inappropriate for the child to know about. The exact political bill referenced is unclear without additional historical context, but the satire mocks parental evasion and adult hypocrisy about shielding children from unsuitable topics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME xX. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 27, 1887. NUMBER: 252. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1887, by Mrrowmi & Minize. ents > “Cops aN INFORMATION. Helen: MAMMA, WHAT 18 A casus belli? Mother: MY CMILD, NEVER SPEAK OF ANYTHING SO INDELICATE. It 18 THE LATIN FOR STOMACH-ACHE, comicbooks.com