Life — July 6, 1899 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Not for Love" This is a satirical illustration from Life magazine titled "Not for Love," featuring what appears to be an elaborately dressed woman in ornate period costume speaking with a man in formal attire, surrounded by decorative garden elements. The caption reads: "She: 'IF I SHOULD DIE, I KNOW YOU WOULD MARRY AGAIN. BUT IF I DID IT WOULD BE FOR MONEY, DEAR.'" The satire targets marriage dynamics and female mercenary attitudes. The woman's elaborate, expensive costume emphasizes wealth-focused values. She implies her husband would remarry for love, while she herself would only do so for financial gain—reversing typical gender expectations of the era. This mocks wealthy women perceived as motivated primarily by material accumulation rather than sentiment, a common theme in early 20th-century satirical commentary on marriage and class.