Judge — October 7, 1916 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a social satire cartoon depicting a conversation at an actual country club (Midlothian Country Club, Blue Island, Illinois). Two people—Tom and a woman named Marianne—observe a man playing golf while his wife watches from the sidelines. The joke centers on marital freedom: Tom explains that "Harry" feels delightfully free while golfing, implying golf provides escape from his wife's presence or oversight. Marianne's question—"Doesn't his wife play?"—sarcastically highlights the absurdity: even at leisure, the wife's absence is what makes the experience enjoyable for him. The satire targets early 20th-century attitudes about marriage and domesticity, suggesting wives were perceived as constraining rather than companionable. The cartoon mocks both Harry's need for spousal escape and the social acceptance of such attitudes among country club society.