Life, 1902-08-14 · page 20 of 20
Life — August 14, 1902 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a marital satire common to early 1900s humor. A stage-struck wife nervously tells her husband she's uncomfortable appearing in theatrical tights, worrying what people will say about her appearance. The husband's cruel response—that he married her purely for her money, not her looks—is meant to be brutish and darkly comic. The joke relies on contemporary assumptions: wives seeking attention through amateur theatricals were often mocked as vain or frivolous, while husbands' mercenary motivations in marriage were treated as cynical humor. The cartoon satirizes both marital discord and the vanity of society women pursuing private theatrical performances. The page is otherwise devoted to period advertisements (cocktails, underwear, horse racing at Saratoga), typical of Life magazine's revenue model.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE BRUTE! Stage-struck wtfe (who t* going to appear in private theatricals): YOU KNOW, JOUN. DRAR, 1 DON'T THINK I gudte LIKE APPRARING IN TIGHTS. WHATEVER WILL PEOPLE say? John, dear (regarding his wife's figure): THAT 1 MARRIRD YOU FOR YOUR MONEY. are the original bottled Cocktails. Years of experience have made them THE PERFECT COCKTAILS that they are. Do not be lured into buying some imitation. The ORIGINAL of anything is good enough. When others are offered it is for the purpose of larger prof- its. Insist upon having the CLUB COCKTAILS, and take no other, GF. WEURI 29 Broa Haxtroxp, Conn —Moonshine. “OWN Ons Linen Underwear That Wears We guarantee that Belfast Mesh will wear to the satisfaction of the pur- chaser or will cheerfully refund your money. Itis the ideal underwear. Send for our handsome and con- vincing book—mailed free on re- quest. It explodes the “wool for warmth" theory In short order. For sale by the best dealers in U.S. and Eng- land. If your dealer cannot supply you, we will THE BELFAST MESH UNDERWEAR CO. 336 Mechanic Street, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. PACES OF THE 4. W. PRATT COy NEW YORK. Saratoga From August 4 to August 28 INCLUSIVE Season of 1902 No gentleman aterested In the turf can afford to miss this meeting, representing, as It docs, the cream of racing interests in this country. THE SARATOGA RACING ASSOCIATION will spare no efforts to make the success of this season--already assured--the most pronouncedis the annals of the “King’s Sport."* ~e BIG EVENTS ~« August 14, The Kenner August 16, U.S. Hotel—2-year olds August 19, The Merchants and Citizens August 23, Saratoga Cup comicbooks.com