Life, 1896-12-05 · page 28 of 34
Life — December 5, 1896 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **sterling silver advertisement** for The Wallace Company, but features a cartoon titled "A Risqué Joke in Egypt" by artist Maye. The cartoon depicts what appears to be **colonial-era Egyptians and Western tourists** in an exotic setting with pyramids and palm trees. The "risqué joke" likely involves **sexual innuendo or impropriety** involving the figures shown—though the exact nature is unclear without additional context. The humor appears to trade on early-20th-century stereotypes about Egypt as a place of exotic scandal. The cartoon serves as light entertainment for *Life* magazine readers, while below it Wallace Company promotes Christmas shopping for silver novelties, warning readers not to delay purchases since popular items sell out during the holiday rush.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Maye, A RISQUE JOKE IN EGYPT. Sterling Silver for Christmas. Our stock of Silverware and NOVELTIES, made especially for the HOLIDAYS, is now COMPLETE, and contains many distinctive productions at a MODERATE PRICE that are NOT TO BE OBTAINED ELSEWHERE. Experience has demonstrated that it is a mistake to defer until the last moment the purchase of gifts for Christmas, as many particularly suitable gifts that have been ‘ borne in mind” have been sold during the rush incident to the holidays, and duplicates are not to be had. SELECT:ONS may now be made at LEISURE, engraved and reserved by us for FUTURE DELIVERY. : THE WALLACE COMPANY, SILVERSMITHS, FIFTH AVENUE, between 26th and 27th Streets, New York City.