ADS IN A VIENNESE NEWSPAPER, 1894. WANTED: MARRIAGE. UNWANTED: PREGNANCY.

What did people advertise in 1894? I checked out a copy of the NEUE FREIE PRESSE of 8 July 1894:

Mr. Hoffmann's false front of curls

• Do you need a false front of curls? Mr. Hoffmann has the thing for you. The newest in hairdos. Very beautiful, very natural. Only 4 florins.
• Looking for a husband? A businessman, respected and independent, seeks the acquaintance of a Catholic miss or a childless widow with a few thousand gulden.
• The lady in the next ad has the required money, but I fear she is not Catholic:She is pretty, very well educated, from an excellent family, with the most beautiful trousseau and a dowry of 20,000 florins, but she is looking for a Jewish suitor, who is well situated.
• I couldn’t help notice that there are only two ads seeking matrimony and seven offering assistance to pregnant (apparently unmarried) women: Ladies can give birth here under the seal of silence and will find advice and help in matters requiring discretion.
• A gynecologist offers a thorough cure of all female complaints. Hmm. I wonder whether pregnancy is a female complaint?

Cryptic dating:

• Ad # 1: I am waiting for you with joy and longing. Greetings from the heart. Russian.
• Ad # 2: Russian: Make it Wednesday, please. Half an hour later. Best.

Lacking the ardour of Ad # 1, no?