Puck — January 16, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Puck cartoon satirizes a wealthy woman's conversion to spiritualism. The "Ancient Bridegroom" (a ghost or spiritual apparition) claims he's converted her worldly assets—real estate and stocks—to cash. The "Blooming Bride" responds that spiritualists would call this "insane." The satire targets two concerns: wealthy women being financially exploited by spiritualist con artists posing as supernatural intermediaries, and the broader 1870s spiritualism craze that swept America. The "C.O.D." (Cash on Delivery) title suggests the woman is essentially buying spiritual communion at a high financial price—paying the medium to contact the supernatural rather than receiving genuine spiritual contact. The cartoon mocks both spiritualism as fraud and gullible wealthy patrons.