Judge — October 26, 1907 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a bride and groom at their wedding, with the groom literally experiencing cold feet—chickens are pecking at his feet while the bride looks on. The caption quotes the bride: "By Jove, Mary! just look how he has to scratch to support them!" The satire appears to target newlywed financial struggles, particularly the groom's inability to support a household. "Cold feet" (nervousness about marriage) is treated literally, while the scratching chickens suggest poverty-level subsistence farming. The joke criticizes inadequate male wages or earning power that forces newlyweds into financial hardship. The artist is credited as Nesbit Benson. This likely reflects early 20th-century concerns about working-class marriage economics and the bride's financial dependence on an often-inadequate male income.