Pictorial Random Shot, Being a Running Commentary on Frank Crosby Andrew Richard’s Son, One of Galesburg’s Brilliant Gallants [cover title].

Privately printed and circulated

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Playing upon the novelty of the velocipede making its appearance on the local streets, an ephemeral, privately printed, privately circulated bit of original and illustrated all-American humor from 1860s Illinois.

This is the illustrated skewering of a Galesburg, Illinois gallant, possibly by his friends. Pictorial Random Shot purports to tell the story of “Mr. Frank Crosby Andrew Richard’s Son,” a conspicuous and irksome young man of the town who seems to require a bit of pranking to settle him down.

The narrative begins by describing an invitation to a surprise party being arranged for a young woman by Mr. Frank Crosby Andrew Richard’s Son:

Upon being the recipients of an exceeding kind invitation from our esteemed young bo[u]quet friend [Mr. Richard’s Son], whose name we produce at the head of our Illustrated Pictorial Record we thought it but our duty on being so favorably noticed by one whose great genius, both on skates and Velocipede’s, has attracted so much attention from the Galesburg public, to acknowledge in print, where he so likes to see himself, the receipt of an invitation, which we herewith produce… While carefully reading our summons, we were startled by the well-known voice of the “President,” who, on his Velocipede, had approached us unawares, and hastened to state “that he had forgotten to tell us, that as a matter of course, considerable expense would be incurred in producing this “Surprise,” and the gentleman were expected to contribute One Dollar Each, in order to defray all costs.[”] Before we could reply he had’s started his machine in quest of his next dollar customer. Anxiously we searched our pocket book for the requisite sum; alas for human hopes; nothing met our eager gaze but a note on Stephe Smith [sic] and a canceled three cent stamp. We were “te[e]totally busted.” (pp[1–2])

The whole thing is almost an extended parody of an invitation to a surprise party. The illustrations throughout are stock printer’s cuts selected here only for the purpose of comic effect, not to illustrate actual events or as mere decorations.

One sees, for example, the surprise party “Committee” (Mr. Richard’s Son, President), an eye shedding tears, a swooning woman, and a crowing cock (Mr. Richard’s Son again). Also seen is a parody advertisement for flower bouquets a stock illustration cut of a “piano on which the President will execute some beautiful passages Thursday night.”

The advertisement references “Farrell’s green house, Chicago” and also prints an address for Galesburg. A reference within the text to this same Chicago green house and its “Galesburg agent” suggests that Mr. Richard’s Son possibly had a business interest in selling bouquets for the party and this is the reason he was being skewered by his fellows. The Chicago connection is also the reason for speculating that Pictorial Random Shot was printed in Galesburg, Illinois.

Curious mid-nineteenth century humor, illustrated for comic effect and evoking a 21st century “I guess you had to be there” sentiment.

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