Life — January 10, 1901 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon titled "Anxious" playing on a double meaning of "punch." A man apologizes to a woman named Clara about a strong "punch" from the previous night. She dismissively asks if it hurt him. He responds that he's been "worried to death" since then—but not from physical pain. Instead, he's anxious because he proposed to her while intoxicated, and now fears the consequences of that drunken proposal. The joke hinges on the contrast between the literal punch (a beverage, likely alcoholic) and the figurative "punch" of an unwanted marriage proposal. The cartoon satirizes male anxiety about commitment and the regret of making romantic decisions while drunk—suggesting the woman's strong drink may have been responsible for his rash proposal.