Judge — July 18, 1903 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

**Top Cartoon ("Unnecessary"):** A domestic humor joke about a nagging wife. Mrs. Jones repeatedly praises her first (deceased) husband's virtues—he didn't smoke or drink. Mr. Jones responds that her first husband didn't *need* those vices because he had to endure listening to her constant comparisons. The satire targets wives who idealize previous husbands, making current marriages miserable through unfavorable contrasts. **Bottom Cartoon ("Accommodated"):** A working-class comedic exchange. "Tine Toothache" complains to "Tom Thomson" about being kicked by a lady after he objected to cold food she served. Tom jokes that the lady "made it hot for" him—a pun meaning she punished him severely. The humor plays on the phrase "make it hot," exploiting the contrast between cold grub and hot consequences for his complaint. Both cartoons use domestic/class scenarios for period humor, relying on familiar social tensions between spouses and servants.