Judge — August 29, 1925 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a satirical illustration from *Judge* magazine depicting a "Summer Widower"—a married man whose wife has left for vacation—dictating a romantic letter claiming to be "so lonesome without you." The humor works on multiple levels: The upper panel shows the man surrounded by attractive young women in a luxurious setting (appearing to be a resort or leisure venue), while the lower panel reveals his wife observing the scene. The satire mocks the husband's hypocrisy—his professions of loneliness and devotion are exposed as false given his apparent entertaining of female company during her absence. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about marital fidelity and the leisure class, while the "summer widower" was a recognized social phenomenon of wealthy couples who separated seasonally.