Life — May 13, 1909 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Our Correspondence School for Husbands" This satirical piece mocks a purported "bureau" offering marital advice to husbands. The seven caricatured figures at the top represent different husband "types"—likely stereotypes of the era (the wealthy man, the poor man, etc.). The text humorously describes a conference at the Martha Washington Hotel where wives submitted complaints about husbands, compiled into a correspondence course. Topics include "How to Act on a Honeymoon," managing finances, and handling domestic disputes. The satire targets two things: (1) the era's male arrogance and domestic incompetence, and (2) the proliferation of dubious mail-order "correspondence schools" claiming to teach any skill. By framing husbands as students requiring systematic retraining, the piece mocks both marital discord and the gullibility of those seeking quick-fix solutions through commercial schemes.