Life — November 16, 1899 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Not to Blame" This cartoon satirizes wealthy older men's marital problems. The title "The Elderly Lady" comments on an older woman discussing her friend's marriage troubles. The dialogue reads: "They say his wife has money. 'Well, that isn't his fault. They've only been married a short time.'" The satire targets the social hypocrisy surrounding May-December marriages in early 20th-century America. The joke suggests that when an older man marries a younger wealthy woman, observers shouldn't blame him for the apparent mismatch—after all, the marriage is recent, implying the financial disparity will inevitably become his "fault" once they've been together longer. The cartoon mocks both the practice of marrying for money and society's lenient attitudes toward older men doing so.