Judge, 1920-06-12 · page 13 of 36
Judge — June 12, 1920 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Your Wife's Dearest Friends" This satirical article by I.B. Birdsall catalogs social types of women the author considers tiresome or ridiculous. The accompanying illustration shows three figures in what appears to be a domestic scene—likely depicting one of these stereotyped "wife's friends." The article targets various female archetypes: the garrulous woman who gushes about everything; the childless society matron; the aspiring feminist orator; the sanctimonious woman who judges "movie actors" while being naive herself; and the social climber Mrs. McKees Rox, who pretentiously seeks "real Omar Khayyam" Persian rugs for her nouveau-riche home. The satire mocks women's social pretensions, reformist zeal, and class-climbing behavior—common Judge magazine targets. The final exchange about Persian rugs suggests ridicule of wealthy women's affected taste and empty snobbery. This reflects early 20th-century attitudes dismissing women's social activities and aspirations as frivolous.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Weeny Hives Taye. Terr to Your Wife's Dearest Friends Ry LB. Biepsata asthmatic voi the nel ys explaining how she trained lar person prognathous chin her husband to assis’ en Phe little fat woman with seven children—all living —who is taking a course in home nursing, for emergency purposes The kittenish spinster of fifty odd summers and winters who wears porcelain “upper and lower sets” and “made-to-measure complexions and talks coyly about: “what a few of us young folks did last evening ne lorgnette The haughty matron with th and the pronounced I sine sh accent whose views of life have been radically changed her introduction to the Prince of Wales last fall The pious-faced lady who does her » fashion and i s. in horri there primly folds her hands in her lap while fied tones. the demoralizing conduct of movie actors, The bustling female who always brings lettuce sandwiches to the patriotic teas and invariably takes away an unc or pie ut Country Micur Do Hix Goopo Mrs. Oh! Isn't that just too fascinating!" who gushes vbout everything st es and hears The chililess president of The Society for the Protection 0 n who would just love to adopt one really had the time he poor Homeless Chi little The aspiring Amaze ars if s| who on the least provocation son the glorious ballon fiery addres: ih incipation of womanhoc the sacres s of the Contrariwise gue and pen, Of all glad words of t The saying to rever The gladdest are, “It migh' Tt might have been have been, much worse!” O, Mat Mrs. MeKees Rox was looking for Persian rugs for her new million-dollar home Dealer—Madam, is there any particular kind ersian rugs in which you would be i Mrs. McKees Rox—Oh, my, yes! 1 thing but a real Omar Khayyam. or make of rested? wouldn't look at any- . J comicbooks.com