Life — January 14, 1897 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "One More Proof" This cartoon satirizes wealthy divorce proceedings. A fashionably dressed woman sits comfortably in an armchair while a man in formal attire stands apart, appearing troubled. The caption presents dialogue: the man asks "What will the world say at our divorce?" The woman, identified as "The Millionaire Spouse," responds callously: "That a fool and his money are soon parted." The satire targets the financial dynamics of wealthy marriages and divorces—specifically how wives of rich men could extract substantial settlements. The cartoon mocks both the man's concern for social reputation and the woman's frank acknowledgment that she's securing his wealth through dissolution of the marriage. It reflects early-20th-century anxieties about divorce, female independence, and money.