Life — July 29, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine, July 29, 1897 - "An Expedient" This cartoon satirizes marital dynamics through a domestic scene. A man stands confidently while his wife sits, and he proposes taking her to the roof garden at night. When she objects that they can't leave the baby alone, he dismisses her concern, saying "I tell you what we'll do. I'll go." The satire mocks male self-centeredness in marriage: the husband frames his solo outing as a solution to her dilemma rather than actually solving anything. He's essentially saying he'll go to the roof garden without her—leaving her with the baby regardless. It's a joke about husbands' creative excuses to do what they want while appearing to address their wives' concerns.