Life — January 19, 1911 — page 29: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon imagining King Henry VIII arriving in Reno, Nevada. The joke conflates Henry VIII's notorious history of multiple marriages—he famously had six wives and divorced/beheaded several—with Reno's reputation as a divorce destination. During the early-to-mid 20th century, Reno was known for lenient divorce laws that attracted people seeking quick divorces. The cartoon depicts Henry VIII surrounded by officials and what appears to be legal paperwork, with a sign for "Hotel Incognito" visible. The satire suggests that had Henry VIII lived in modern times, he could have simply used Reno's divorce courts instead of orchestrating the religious and political upheaval that characterized his actual reign. It's a humorous commentary on both Henry's marital history and Reno's then-scandalous role in American divorce culture.