Story: Manners and social behaviour

The subject of 'uppity' servants provided endless scope for humour in 19th century New Zealand newspapers. Because there was a shortage of domestic help in colonial times, servants could afford to insist on respect from their employers. This 1868 cartoon tacitly concedes that point, while also mocking what the cartoonist sees as pretensions. Jemima Ann uses high-flown language, but incorrectly: she rejects the word 'wages', preferring to describe her earnings as an 'onner-raryum' (honorarium).