Life — April 2, 1903 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Trying His Hand" This page contains a satirical short story illustrated with a caricature of a man named Dimpleton attempting to manage a household. The narrative follows Dimpleton as he tries to oversee domestic operations—managing a nurse, cook, and waitress while caring for a baby—after apparently dismissing his wife or housekeeper. The satire targets incompetent household management by a man unaccustomed to domestic affairs. Dimpleton constantly meddles in servants' work, second-guesses decisions, and creates chaos through his interference. The story mocks the notion that a businessman accustomed to commercial affairs can easily manage a home, suggesting that domestic work requires specialized knowledge and that men are ill-equipped for such tasks—a common early-20th-century satirical theme about gender roles.