Life, 1907-11-07 · page 48 of 50
Life — November 7, 1907 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines railroad advertising with social humor typical of early 20th-century Life magazine. **Main Content:** The Pennsylvania Railroad's "Pennsylvania Special" advertises luxury overnight train service between New York and Chicago, emphasizing that business travel need no longer sacrifice comfort—passengers enjoy club-like amenities (sleeping cars, dining facilities, library, stenographer) during transit. **The Cartoon:** The bottom illustration depicts a server asking a seated diner about tea preferences. The diner's response—"I think it's yaller"—is a joke about class and dialect. The humor relies on mocking working-class or immigrant speech patterns ("yaller" for "yellow," suggesting poor education or accent), contrasting with the refined Thanksgiving dinner setting described in adjacent cocktail advertisements. **Context:** This reflects early 1900s attitudes where Life magazine made humor from perceived social hierarchies and ethnic/class-based speech differences. The page overall targets affluent travelers and diners, with advertising repeatedly emphasizing luxury and sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
(J PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD BULLETIN The Ideal in Travel The highest art in transportation is to make the service so per- fectly comfortable and convenient that it is just as pleasant to take the trip to Chicago, for instance, as to spend the night in New York. Such service makes business a pleasure, as it no longer robs the business man of his evening at the club or of the com- forts of his private apartments. The best exemplification of this high ideal is found in the “Pennsylvania Special,” which makes the run between New York and Chicago in a night. Leaving New York at 3.55 P. M., prac- tically after business hours, it arrives in Chicago at 8.55 the next morning, or before business begins. This means that there is no loss of time. The equipment of the Special—Buffet Parlor Smo- king car, Drawing-Room State-Room Sleeping cars, Dining car and Compartment Observation car, with bathrooms, barber, copies of the evening papers, magazines, illustrated periodicals, telephone, library, and stenographer—means that there is no loss of comfort, convenience, or entertainment. An evening on the “Pennsylvania Special” is like an evening in a first-class club or hotel; and there is the added zest of swift and easy motion. Absolute perfection in transportation may not have been reached, but the service of the “Pennsylvania Special” leaves little to be attained. “Your Health!” is a toast that really means something when Angostura Bitters is served. No Thanks- giving, Christmas or New Year's table com- plete without it. Delicious with grape fruit, water ices, wine jellies, plum pudding, champagne, punches, cups, cocktails, etc. Excellent corrective for effects of over- eating and drinking. Twenty-three awards at principal expositions. Send for booklet. J. W. WUPPERMANN 44 West 34th Street - - New York City , Club Serenata Cocktails A Club Cocktail Isa Bottled Delight ‘ot the indifferent combination, mixed by guesswork — but an expert blending of fi ed in wood. correctly measured to ¢ portions. CLUB COCKTAIL is the most d drink in the world, with the rea/ cocktail flavor mellow, s ting —a perfect appeti- zer for Thanksgiving Dinner. SEVEN Kinps — Most. popular of which are Martini, and ¥ & BRO., London, “TEA, SOR?” “BL OR GREEN?" “PLEASE, SOR, I THINK IT’S YALLER.” comicbooks.com j ————