Life, 1900-12-27 · page 20 of 21
Life — December 27, 1900 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising with one satirical cartoon**. The cartoon titled "SPORTING" depicts a bank clerk informing a customer his account is overdrawn by nearly twenty pounds. Rather than address the financial problem seriously, the customer flippantly responds he'll "toss you double or quits"—proposing to settle the debt by gambling (a coin flip or similar wager). **The satire:** The joke mocks the casual irresponsibility of affluent men who treat serious financial obligations as gambling matters rather than addressing them honestly. The title "SPORTING" suggests he's being a "good sport," but the humor lies in how absurdly inappropriate this response is. It satirizes a particular class attitude where gentlemen dismiss debts through bravado and chance rather than actual payment—a commentary on reckless upper-class financial behavior. The surrounding advertisements (cocoa, ale, soap, brandy, banking services) are standard period marketing with health/luxury claims typical of 1900.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Economical in use. A breakfast- cupful of this delicious Cocoa costs less than one cent. Bold at all grocery stores—order it next time. SPORTING Bank Clerk; VM SORRY TO TELL YOU, SIR, YOUR ACCOUNT 18 OVERDRAWN NEARLY TWENTY POUNDS. Customer : YOU DON'T SAY SO] WELL, LOOK MERE, I'LL TOSS YOU DOUBLE OF QUITS! —Moonshine. PRESS OF THE J. W. PRATT CO, NEW YORK FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR ooe-DRINK Ewans’ Ale ‘Twill surround you with an atmosphere of good will and peace with the world. . . . To keep the skin clean is to wash the excretions from it off; the skin takes care of itself inside, if not blocked outside. To wash it often and clean, without doing any sort of violence to it, re- quires a most gentle soap, a soap with no free al- kali in it. Pears’, the soap that clears but not excoriates. All sorts of stores sell It, especially druggists; all sorts of people use it. “‘AGenuine Old Brandy made from Wine.” — Medical Press (London), Aug, 1899 MARTELL'S THREE STAR BRANDY AT ALL BARS AND RESTAURANTS. Transact a general Redmond, mae business i _ Kerr& Co. ': BANKERS, 41 WALL ST., N.Y. mS at LE Br och secant bought and sold op N, Y, Stock Exchange. igh-Grade Investment Securities. late of current offerings sent oo application. PHILADELPHIA CORRESPONDENTS, GRAHAM, KERR & CO. comicbooks.com