Life, 1888-12-27 · page 40 of 43
Life — December 27, 1888 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical pieces from the Victorian era: 1. **"The Christmas Pantomime"**: A joke about a child's first ballet performance. Tommy is amazed that the "Celestial Realms" (heaven depicted in the ballet) looks "lots jollier" than he expected—poking fun at both theatrical conventions and perhaps Victorian religious instruction's somber tone. 2. **"He Struck a Bargain"**: A humor piece about class and charity. Mrs. Bentley charitably offers cast-off clothing to a poor man, but he shrewdly negotiates, offering her three dollars for the entire lot instead of accepting charity. The humor lies in his cunning reversal of the power dynamic—he turns her charity into a business transaction where *he* gets the better deal. 3. **"Going Before the Bar"**: A cartoon captioned about a lawyer who reconsidered hunting bear for Christmas dinner. The sketch shows a figure fleeing from a bear, illustrating the punchline about changing one's mind regarding the venture's safety. All three reflect period attitudes toward charity, class, entertainment, and masculine adventure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME, Tommy (at his first ballet): Ow, Mammal Wuei 1EY Now? Mamma (after glancing at programme): THIS REPRESENTS THE “CELESTIAL REALMS.” Tommy (in great excitement): Wuy, ‘tis 1s Heav! It’s LOTS JOLLIER THAN I THOUGHT! HE STRUCK A BARGAIN. LD MRS. BENTLEY: Josiah, there comes a shabby-looking old man with a bundle on his back, and I think we ought to do something for him. OLD Mr, BENTL: I'm willing, Mariar. OLD Mrs, BENTLEY: I say, old man, if you'll come into the house I may be able to find some decent clothing for you. OLD MAN (gratefully): Thank you, mem. OLD Mrs, BENTLEY (2% ¢he house) : Now, there’s a lot of cast-off clothing that my husband doesn’t want. OLD MAN (examining the lot very care- Sully): Vell, I gif you tree dollar fur the lot, und, so help me, not von cent more. OLp Mrs. BENTLEY: But, sir, I want to GOING BEFORE THE BAR. give you the clothing. OLD MAN (looks over the lot again, very FANCY PORTRAIT OF A LAWYER WHO THOUGHT HE WOULD HaVE BEAR'S MEAT — very carefully): Vell, I tell you vot I do: FOR HIS CHRISTMAS DINNER AND AFTERWARDS CHANGED HIS MIND, I dake em, comicbooks.com