Life, 1910-10-13 · page 17 of 44
Life — October 13, 1910 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks the emerging "Husbands' Correspondence Bureau" by presenting husbands as livestock at an agricultural exhibition. The joke is that husbands—like cattle or dogs at a county fair—are being judged, graded, and displayed "in all stages of repair." The cartoon shows four husband "types" on exhibition benches, each labeled with satirical descriptions: one who "putters around the house," a "boulevard prancer" (likely a ladies' man), one with "artistic temperament" who wants a new wife yearly, and a "satisfied" husband with a good cook wife. The humor targets early-20th-century gender dynamics and marital frustration. By treating husbands as commodities to be evaluated and improved, Life satirizes both domestic dissatisfaction and the emerging bureaucratic "solutions" (the Correspondence Bureau) to personal problems. The prize for greatest "capacity for suffering"—awarded to a man married to an actress, Christian Scientist, and suffragette—particularly mocks wives' independent interests and husbands' expected patience with them.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Husbands’ Bench Show a Most Tremendous Success Crowds of People Visit Madison Square Garden HE Great Husbands’ Bench Show is over and a new era in American life has been inaugurated. We are proud and happy. Thank God there is something else in this world besides money, and the thought that we have, by this tremendous undertaking, put all American hus- bands on a new basis, would be enough to sustain us at the most. As a matter of fact, however, we have done very well from a financial standpoint. We expect soon to estab- lish a sinking fund for the relief of husbands who have no money to spend. After investigating their condition we will treat them free, as our sole object is to do as much good in the world as possible. This is no encouragement, however, for anyone to get a rebate. We run this bureau on a business basis, and cash payments are strictly in advance to all those who can afford it. From the hour of opening to the moment of the close at midnight on Saturday, the Madison Square Garden was in- deed an animated scene, Over three thousand husbands from all parts of the coun- try were on exhibition—husbands in all stages of repair. Never before have we witnessed such a sight. One of the most popular exhibitions was that from Chi- cago. Next in interest was the New Jersey contingent. The judging went on in the great central ring, and as husbands were put through their paces crowds watched the results with intense interest. The prizes were awarded strictly on merit. A special cup was presented to the husband who had shown throughout his married life the greatest capacity for suffering. This was awarded to a gentleman from Peoria, BOULEVARD PRANCER.| HARMLESS VERY GooD. PUTTERS AROUND THE HOUSE. — CALLS HIS WIFE-"ANGEL’ HUSBANDS CORRESPONDENCE BUREAU HEADQUARTERS OUR ExXuipIT Ilinois, who had married in turn a vaudeville actress, a Christian Scientist and a suffragette. Throughout his entire married life he was able to show that he had preserved a calm mien, had never spoken a cross word, and had never once broken down nervously. A movement is now on foot to erect a monument to him. Replicas of this monument will be sold later by this bureau at the small sum of one dollar. Every home should have one. A niagnificent cup was presented to the husband who had succeeded for three years in keeping his wife within her al- lowance merely by persuasion. This went to Flatbush. But it would be indeed impossible to give a description of all the great events. The following is a brief quotation from one of the morning papers: A visit to the Bench Show for Husbands, running this week at Madison Square Garden, revealed much of human interest and many novelties, The show’ was very popular, as evidenced by the ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT. SATISFIED. NEW WIFE EVERY YEAR || His WIFE 1S A GOOD COOK AND STILL DREAMING mi A FEW ENTRIES comicbooks.com