Life, 1906-04-05 · page 26 of 58
Life — April 5, 1906 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the emerging women's suffrage/club leadership movement. The scene depicts a church women's club election where Mrs. Whippet is running for president—a position viewed as dangerously ambitious. The satire works through male sabotage and backfiring plans: Dimpleton, worried about a woman president, convinces his friend Whippet to undermine his own wife's candidacy by neglecting household duties, assuming this will disqualify her. Instead, it backfires—Whippet's deliberate domestic chaos actually *helps* Mrs. Whippet's election chances by making other candidates' homes look worse by comparison. The joke's bitter endpoint: Whippet is "tickled to death" because his wife, humiliated by losing, now swears to abandon all activities and stay home—exactly what the men wanted. The cartoon mocks both female ambition and male anxiety about women's independence, while revealing how women's public roles threaten domestic arrangements that men depend upon.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
424 mn I | LW Hil ii Wy Ai ZA. there was great danger of her being clected president. of the <iub. meant for him from that time forth a disordered household, Dimpleton de- termined to frustrate the scheme if which But how? ght about it a good deal that night and it was not until the next day at luncheon that, seeing Whippet a near table, the pei came to him that. after all, it was easier than he imagined Sauntering over to hand He thoi fidious idea rg that gentleman, he laid his cordially on his shoulder. “Allow me to congratulate you, old "he said, “on your wife. From uunts she is the most brilliant ¢ had for some time. I rstand that her presidency of the Club is Splendid possibilities for a woman of her abil- ity.” Whippet smiled. “Thanks, old fellow,” woman we hy; assured. he said. “She NA N THE CHURCH does seem to be deep in those matters: he may not get it.” Oh, yes. she will, 1 hear they are pring alittle They're going to appoint a committee to visit each woman's home and see how she conduets thin What's fair for one you know going to surprise to. morrow is fair I'm sure your wife ta, old man, T must private. for all pleton saw by the look on Whip- t that gentleman had ght on” all right, and during the next three nights he slept the sleep of the just in the serene confidence that, although he had apparently been a traitor to his wife, it was done to pre- serve the peace and comfort of his own home. On Tuesday, the day of the election, as he was eating his luncheon quietly, a hand was laid on his shoulder. His friend Whippet stood over him. Whippet’s voice, dulcet and jubilant, WE PRPL THAT We NER A YOUNGER MAS seunded in his car. “Old man, allow ratulate you. I have just received a ‘phone from Mrs. Whippet She was not elected. but me 10 cor your wife was.” Dimpleton sprang to his feet “The devil!” he exclaimed. how could that happen?” tasy enough. The committee went their round of inspection. When they came to my house they found things— well, upside down, Mrs. Whippet, you see, was too busy with other things—” heavens, man, didn’t you warn her? Didn't you give her the tip?” Whippet leaned over, in his eyes the light of a new-found joy. ‘ot on your life!” he exclaimed. “Why, I'm tickled to death! I didn’t want her to get it. I knew better than that. Why,my wife is so chagrined by the whole thing that she swears now she'll do absolutely nothing after this but stay home and take care of me and the children!” “Why, comicbooks.com