Life — November 14, 1912 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Husbands By the Yard" This satirical article argues that large men make better husbands than small men, citing a Chicago police matron and court clerk as sources. The piece humorously advises women to select husbands by bulk—ensuring they're at least six feet tall with large noses—claiming bigger men are more generous and good-natured. The accompanying cartoon shows a man in formal dress floating away from a "Grand Ascension" event (likely a balloon ascension spectacle), dropping his hat in embarrassment. The caption suggests he's being mocked for attending such an event as a guest, worried about social judgment. The satire mocks both prescriptive dating advice for women and social anxiety about public appearance and respectability—typical early 20th-century Life magazine humor.