Life — May 29, 1890 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Had Him There" - Life Magazine, May 29, 1890 This illustration depicts a domestic quarrel between a man and woman. The caption presents their exchange as a witty riposte: the man accuses the woman of keeping secrets ("You never can keep a secret, anyway!"), she responds that she can't suppose she told him about a previous kiss before their engagement, and he retorts that she "should say you were not the only one." The humor rests on the double standard of the era—the man's implied previous romantic encounters are acceptable, while a woman's are scandalous. The cartoon satirizes male hypocrisy about female virtue and fidelity, presenting the woman's sharp comeback as scoring a rhetorical victory ("Had Him There") in this battle of marital wits.