Life — May 9, 1907 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Business Instinct" — Life Magazine, May 9, 1907 This cartoon satirizes a businessman's priorities regarding his household. A young maid greets Mr. Wuzzintraid in the morning, but Mrs. Wuzzintraid is absent—"the daughters are all out this morning," the maid explains. Mr. W. dismisses this casually, saying they'll "have some in next time you call." The joke targets the "business instinct" of wealthy men who treat their wives and daughters as commodities or possessions to be displayed for social advantage, rather than as family members. The casual, transactional language—"have some in"—mockingly equates managing a household to managing business inventory. The satire criticizes how turn-of-the-century upper-class men prioritized financial and social performance over genuine family relationships.