Judge, 1925-08-08 · page 12 of 36
Judge — August 8, 1925 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Judge* satirizes early 20th-century advice about maintaining marriage. The story follows "Virginia," a young woman seeking secrets to "keep" her husband after marriage. She consults two friends with opposite approaches: **Madeline** advocates constant novelty and surprises to maintain excitement, while **Harriet** recommends practical common sense—never appearing in curlers or performing unglamorous grooming in front of one's husband. The cartoons humorously illustrate these contrasting philosophies: the top shows idealized house-cleaning "according to the arts," while the bottom depicts the chaotic reality ("actually"). The satire targets the era's obsession with women maintaining an artificially perfect appearance and perpetually mysterious demeanor to sustain male interest. It mocks both the elaborate performance required and the pretense that marriage stability depends on a wife's constant self-presentation rather than genuine companionship or mutual respect.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
How Do You Keep Yours? irGinta, after the manner of her kind, had landed him. Soft eyes cast modesi glances, childish lips murmured sweet and innocent thoughts, flowerlike shyness and wistful admiration breathed from the presence of that dainty little person. Ah, Virginia, girl from another century, he must have her . . . she had him. “And now how can I hold him?” asked the maiden of her inner con- sciousness, for she knew that findings are not keepings. “‘I will find out what the other women do,” she answered herself, and at once sought out her friend Madeline. “We have been married a year,” boasted Madeline, “‘and my husband loves me more than ever. I keep him surprised, keep him guessing. Every day I am new and different. He'll stick!” “How perfectly wonderful of you,” breathed Virginia, and hurried on to see Harriet, who was high-brow and knew everything. “My dear,” said Harriet, “I’m not really such a marvel as you seem to think. I just use common sense. I never, never wear hair curlers in e the boudoir, nor brush my teeth in And—actually! my husband's presence, nor peer into comicbooks.com