New Year's Address of the Carrier. Father Christmas illustrated broadside.
New York: Ca. 1885. An elegantly wood engraved illustrated broadside with Christmas scene, and an anonymous poem, published as a greeting to New York newspaper readers, and serving as a subtle request for a tip for the city's newspaper carriers. The poem describes the joys and comforts of the Christmas season, and concludes with a request for a gratuity for the faithful carrier.
These New Year address broadsides were greetings that newspaper delivery boys gave to their customers on the first day of the year. Subscribers would then reward the carriers for their year of faithful delivery with a New Year's tip. Tipping is thought to have begun in British taverns and coffee houses of the 17th century, when patrons would place money in a bowl marked "to insure promptitude" or T.I.P.
Printed entirely in blue, the large illustration features Father Christmas flanked by a young woman in charming bonnet and 1890s winter costume, and a little girl, in a wintry country landscape with a small village in the distance. The text beneath the illustration in 3 columns, surrounded by an ornate printed decorative border. Signed at the lower left 'Loewenthal, Eng'.
12 x 18 1/2" broadside in a dark brown gilt highlighted elegant wood frame. Very good condition. Item #23393
Sold