Freud's treatise on Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious quotes a 19th century witticism.
A guide at an art gallery (in London, I think) routinely remarks to a group of visitors:
"And here, ladies and gentlemen, you see the Duke of Wellington with his horse, Copenhagen".
A wit chips in with the comment: "Which one's the Duke?"
Arthur Wellesley was noted for the unusual size and length of his nose - he was called Conky by his troops.
To which the guide responds: "Sir Madam? - you pay your money and you take your choice."
Not in Freud's quote with the demotic -s as usually since cited, it's true, but entirely suggestive of a wry, slightly bored, economically cynical view of the world.
This makes good sense as the source of the saying, I think. It could date to any year from 1815, I suppose.