Life, 1894-08-23 · page 10 of 14
Life — August 23, 1894 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Bad Investment" - Life Magazine Cartoon This cartoon satirizes a man visiting a taxidermist shop advertising "$2.50" service. The sequential panels show the man progressively transforming into various mounted animal poses—first like a deer, then in increasingly contorted positions mimicking taxidermied specimens. The joke appears to be a dark pun: the man is literally becoming a taxidermy exhibit, suggesting he's made a "bad investment" by patronizing this business. The cartoon mocks either the taxidermist's suspicious practices or the absurdity of paying for such cheap taxidermy work. The visual humor relies on the surreal transformation and the double meaning of "investment"—financial and physical.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS. No. 1. Type-written. Orrice oF Dove Smoxe-stack BUILDING. New York, April ist. Sir:—Our clients, Messrs. Rummy & Grogg, dealers in wines and liquors, have placed in our hands for collection a claim against you for $20.05, as follows : To liquor consumed on their premises by yourself and a hackman between 4 and 6 o'clock a.M., March 18th, $4.60 To repairing 2tablesand chairs, = - =~ 1.80 To brokenglasses, - - - - - = = x00 To broken window, - = = = = = 6.00 To veterinary surgeon's attendance on bull-dog, = 5.00 To one bar laundry soap, eaten by hackman, at your suggestion (under protest), - = = = = 05 To three feet of lead pipe (property bartender) carried away, - ee ee ee Tota, = 2 1 ee $20.05 We shall be obliged if you will send us a cheque at once, and obviate the necessity of legal proceedings. Yours truly, To Joux L. Stuccem, Dove & Las, Pug’s Arms, The Bowery. No. I. Handwriting labored and letters leaning against each other for support, Tue Puc's Ars, New York, April and. Gents :—As private secretary to the Hon, John L. Sluggem, he wants to know what business it is of yours what Rummy & Grogg claim he owes ‘em, which he don’t know nothing about, and will call to find out as soon as he feels that he can control his temper, having been much upset by your letter, the same being in his opinion very uncivil to a gent of his reputation and prominence. Yours truly, Tommy, THE Goat, To Messrs, Dove & Lama, Smoke-stack Building. No. III. In handwriting of senior partner, written evidently in haste. Orrice or Dove & Lamn, ATTORNEYS-AT-Law, SMoKe-STACK BUILDING. New York, April 3rd. My Dear Sir:—We were totally unaware until we received the polite note of your esteemed secretary, Mr. Tommy, the Goat, that you had not been apprised by Messrs, Rummy & Grogg of their intention to place their alleged claim, of whose accuracy we had no means of informing ourselves, in our hands. In the circumstances we beg you to confer with Messrs, Rummy & Grogg personally, or, if that is not agreeable to you, to give the matter to your attorneys and allow ¢hem to discuss it with us. Our office is on the 18th floor ; and, as the elevator is often out of order, we would not like to give you the trouble to climb the stairs, particularly as we are likely to be out a great deal between now and the summer. Trusting that you will believe that we had no intention of affronting a gentleman of your force and weight in the community in the some- what formal manner of our head-clerk’s communication, which was unauthorized by us, we remain, Yours respectfully, To Joux L. Stuccem, Eso Dove & Lawr. The Pug's Arms. No. IV. Handwriting labored and indicating suppressed excitement of the writer. . Tue Puo's Aras, New Yok, April 4th. Gents.—As private secretary to the Hon. John L. Sluggem, kindly inform us of the address of Rummy & Grogg, which has slipped Mr. BAD INVESTMENT. comicbooks.com