Life, 1894-12-20 · page 1 of 14
Life — December 20, 1894 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Considerate Girl" — Life Magazine, December 20, 1894 This cartoon illustrates a domestic humor scenario common to 1890s Life magazine. The caption indicates Flora faces a dilemma: she cannot decide what Christmas gift to buy for "Arthur," her presumed suitor or husband. The joke pivots on Flora's resolution: rather than purchase an expensive present (which Arthur forbade), she offers **herself** as the gift—a self-deprecating reference to marriage or romantic commitment as woman's ultimate offering. The ornate decorative border on the left, typical of Life's design, frames this genteel domestic comedy. The sketch-style illustration shows the couple in an intimate conversation, capturing the sentimental tone of period romance literature. The humor relies on Victorian courtship conventions where a woman's primary value lay in companionship and domestic partnership rather than material possessions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXIV. NEW YORK, DECEMBER 20, 1894. NUMBER 625. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1894, by Mrrewett & Minter. said torted: rength Broad. aul de ration, “Tron 3 were sky old TY. A CONSIDERATE GIRL. Flora: 1 CAN'T DECIDE ON A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR ARTHUR. * GIVE HIM YOURSELF. “HE MADE ME PROMISE NOT TO GIVE HIM AN EXPENSIVE PRESENT.” comicbooks.com