Life, 1888-10-04 · page 14 of 14
Life — October 4, 1888 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **fashion advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It's a full-page ad for Redfern, a high-end ladies' tailor operating in 1888. The page features three illustrated fashion figures in elegant period dress (showing the "London," "Cowes," and "Paris" styles mentioned in the text) alongside promotional copy. The company announces their expanded New York showroom and boasts of contributions from their international branches in London, Cowes, and Paris. Notable for modern readers: the ad emphasizes **mourning wear** as a "new feature" available within twenty-four hours—reflecting the Victorian era's elaborate mourning clothing requirements. The promise of mail-order service with "perfect fit guaranteed" was innovative for the period. The decorative border labels ("London," "Cowes," "Paris") establish this as aspirational fashion tied to European sophistication. This is purely commercial messaging aimed at wealthy New York women, not editorial content or satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ \AUTUMN SEASON, 1888. | OHN RED \ 1") (eapsoocay JOHN REDFERN & SONS p beg to announce to their lady-patrons that they have now completed their range of Models for the ensuing scason. In addition to those prepared by the New York establishment, the branches at LONDON, COWES AND PARIS have also contributed their latest novelties, making the exhibition one of the most complete they have ever given. Their showroom, through the recent Enlargement of Premises is now one of the most spacious in New York, and as the new extension gives them additional work and stock rooms, the Messrs. Redfern will be enabled to execute all orders entrusted to their care with even greater promptitude and dispatch than before. Supplementary to the display of the new and original models of \ GOWNS, COATS, WRAPS & HATS will be a splendid assortment of all the most recent } Paris and London creations in MANTLES. A new feature will be the special attention paid to orders for MOURNING, which, in cases of emergency, can be furnished with- in twenty-four hours. Ladies living at a distance can have sketches of the newest design and samples of cloth forwarded free by mail. Perfect fit guaranteed in all mail orders, Al FIFTH AVENUE, through to 1132 Broadway, New York. comicbooks.com