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After recently viewing the movie “The Conspirator” , I realized I never read the play “Our American Cousin”, which also got me thinking about mid-19th century American humor. This lead me to remember an old document I compiled many years ago which consists of excerpts from Harper’s Weekly “Humors of the Day”. When I copied these I was thinking about the differences between our ideas of what is considered funny (really a very a subjective thing anyway) compared to mid-19th century notions of humor. I guess it is also important to realize that just because the following was printed in a popular newspaper doesn’t mean everyone who read them actually found them funny.
My note at the beginning of these say they were copied from Harper’s Weekly, ca. Jan. 1863.
“It is singular how rapidly some young gentlemen from the country lose their color when visiting the large cities. They go there green, and invariably come away done very brown.”
“ Momma”, said Harry, “how fat Amelia has grown!” “Yes,” replied his mother; “but don’t say fat dear, say stout!”. At the dinner table on the following day Harry was asked if he would take any fat. “No, thank you,” said Harry; “‘I’ll take some stout!! “
“Say, Jack can you tell us what’s the best thing to hold two pieces of rope together?” - “I guess knot, Jack.”
“For a lady to sweep her carpet with embroidered under-sleeves would be considered indecently dirty; but to drag the pavement with her skirt seems to be very genteel.”
“What kind of fever have those who wish to get their names in print? – Type-us fever.”
“Few ladies are so modest as to be unwilling to sit in the lap of ease and luxury.”
“Why is a bird a greedy creature? “– “ Because it never eats less than a peck.”
“Why is the sun like a good loaf?” – “Because it’s light when it rises.”
“A man so intoxicated that he can’t hold up his head is a tip-top fellow”.
“How often do you knead bread?” asked one house-keeper of another. “How often? Why I might say we need it continually;” replied the other.
“A promising young man may do very well, perhaps. – A paying one much better.”
“What light could not possibly be seen in a dark room? – “An Israelite!”
A man with a scolding wife, when inquired of respecting his occupation, said he kept a “hot-house”.
With what two animals do you always go to bed? – Two calves!
“Why is the cook at the Palace like a man sitting on the top of St. Paul’s? – Because both are in a high ‘cool and airy’ situation” [Think about it……..culinary]
“My first is a ruffian that riots in blood; My second has a rough coat, and is the son of the wood; My whole is a phantom that scares you by night, When the tapers burn blue and the moon gives pale light.”
A bug-bear! [If you don’t know, look it up].
Hope some of you found this interesting...
After recently viewing the movie “The Conspirator” , I realized I never read the play “Our American Cousin”, which also got me thinking about mid-19th century American humor. This lead me to remember an old document I compiled many years ago which consists of excerpts from Harper’s Weekly “Humors of the Day”. When I copied these I was thinking about the differences between our ideas of what is considered funny (really a very a subjective thing anyway) compared to mid-19th century notions of humor. I guess it is also important to realize that just because the following was printed in a popular newspaper doesn’t mean everyone who read them actually found them funny.
My note at the beginning of these say they were copied from Harper’s Weekly, ca. Jan. 1863.
“It is singular how rapidly some young gentlemen from the country lose their color when visiting the large cities. They go there green, and invariably come away done very brown.”
“ Momma”, said Harry, “how fat Amelia has grown!” “Yes,” replied his mother; “but don’t say fat dear, say stout!”. At the dinner table on the following day Harry was asked if he would take any fat. “No, thank you,” said Harry; “‘I’ll take some stout!! “
“Say, Jack can you tell us what’s the best thing to hold two pieces of rope together?” - “I guess knot, Jack.”
“For a lady to sweep her carpet with embroidered under-sleeves would be considered indecently dirty; but to drag the pavement with her skirt seems to be very genteel.”
“What kind of fever have those who wish to get their names in print? – Type-us fever.”
“Few ladies are so modest as to be unwilling to sit in the lap of ease and luxury.”
“Why is a bird a greedy creature? “– “ Because it never eats less than a peck.”
“Why is the sun like a good loaf?” – “Because it’s light when it rises.”
“A man so intoxicated that he can’t hold up his head is a tip-top fellow”.
“How often do you knead bread?” asked one house-keeper of another. “How often? Why I might say we need it continually;” replied the other.
“A promising young man may do very well, perhaps. – A paying one much better.”
“What light could not possibly be seen in a dark room? – “An Israelite!”
A man with a scolding wife, when inquired of respecting his occupation, said he kept a “hot-house”.
With what two animals do you always go to bed? – Two calves!
“Why is the cook at the Palace like a man sitting on the top of St. Paul’s? – Because both are in a high ‘cool and airy’ situation” [Think about it……..culinary]
“My first is a ruffian that riots in blood; My second has a rough coat, and is the son of the wood; My whole is a phantom that scares you by night, When the tapers burn blue and the moon gives pale light.”
A bug-bear! [If you don’t know, look it up].
Hope some of you found this interesting...
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