Marriage-à-la-New Zealand
Two sides to a question, 1869
Cartoonist unknown, Two sides to a question, 1869, Punch, or the Auckland Charivari, New Zealand Cartoon Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library, Reference: H-685-012
Two sides to a question, 1869
The two sides to this question reflect the harsh realities surrounding institutions like marriage in colonial New Zealand society.
The bearded gentleman with the sore arm is far less concerned with questions of romance than economics. He is more than willing to groan his way through a dance and possibly even marriage with the available Miss Snooks. She comes with the lure of a dowry that includes prime property on Queen Street.
"A liberal education is considered the best dowry, but £100,000 a year is still rather liked." ('Mr Punch's Proverbial Philosophy', Grey River Argus, 3 April 1905, p.3)
Read more proverbs by Mr Punch in the Grey River Argus - Papers Past website
Permission of the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga O Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image
