Life — April 12, 1906 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon about Mormon polygamy. Two men in period dress converse in what appears to be a theatrical or social setting filled with women in the background. The joke turns on the phrase "chorus girl"—the first Mormon asks about a woman his friend married from a theater chorus. The second Mormon responds that she's "splendid" and he's now arranging marriages with "the rest of the chorus," treating the entire group of performers as potential wives. The satire mocks both theatrical culture (chorus girls as commodities) and Mormon polygamous practices, presenting them as absurdly compatible. The crowded interior setting reinforces the joke's implication of arranging multiple marriages. This reflects 19th-century American anti-Mormon sentiment that portrayed polygamy as scandalous and ridiculous.