Judge, 1912-03-09 · page 8 of 24
Judge — March 9, 1912 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical advertisement mocks both married life and insurance culture. The cartoon depicts a wife asking her husband to locate her pocket-book—implying wives are scatterbrained and dependent on men. The "insurance company" is presented as a tongue-in-cheek solution: husbands should insure their wives like property. The eligibility questions reveal the satire's targets: wives who are suffragettes (women's rights activists), bridge players, or actresses are "prohibited risks," suggesting these independent women threaten traditional marriage. Husbands must answer whether they praise other women, employ attractive stenographers, and whether they've stopped bringing flowers since marriage. The joke mocks both sexes: wives for being frivolous and forgetful; husbands for being foolish enough to marry. The caption "A RANK JOKE" confirms this is satirizing contemporary gender relations and the era's anxiety about women's changing social roles, particularly suffrage activism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHERE IT IS. “John, get me my pocket-book, like a dear. If it isn’t on the kitchen table, or in the cut-glass bowl on the sideboard, you ‘ll probably find it under one of the sofa cushions in the sitting room."’ The Vinculum Wife Insurance Company. EN, attention! Is your wife in- sured? You insure your life, your house, your motor car. Why not your wife? Do not delay! Insure in our company! This company is incorporated under the laws of the United States and is controlled by a capable board of di- rectors, including some of our best known novelists and playwrights. Eligibility: Every husband of sound body and sound mind (except for the slight trace of dementia shown in get- ting married at all), and whose replies to the appended questions are satisfactory, is eligi- ble to membership. Prohibited risks: Men who are married to suffra- gettes, to bridge fiends, or to members of the theatri- cal profession are not igible, and their appli- cations cannot be consid- ered. To obtain a policy, Do you let her buy your neckties? Do you ever praise other women in her presence? . Do you employ a lady stenographer? (If so, state her appearance. Append photograph, if possible.) Do you bring her flowers and candy as often as before you were married? Do you call her pet names? Do you let her buy all the hats she wants? Applicants answering these questions satisfactorily are entitled to policies in our company. So far we have taken but few risks, but we are prepared to swing a large business if we can secure the policy-holders. Address, Vinculum Wife Insurance Company, Darby Benedick, Agent. = Carelyn Wells, subscribe your answers to the following questions: Are you (a) handsome, (b) fairly good looking, or (c) plain? Are you of a jealous disposition? Do you give your wife enough money? (a) From her point of view? (b) From yours? Do you always let her have her way? Do you ever contradict her? Do you compliment her cooking? Do you compliment her clothes? Can you hook up her gown without swearing? Never trouble ‘‘bub- bles,’’ or ‘‘bubbles’’ ‘Il trouble you. A RANK JOKE. comicbooks.com