Life, 1913-02-20 · page 20 of 48
Life — February 20, 1913 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the common male complaint that women dress elaborately "for their husbands" rather than vanity. The long poem, illustrated with sketches, follows a husband's irritation as his wife takes hours preparing—lacing corsets, arranging hair, selecting jewelry and gowns—while repeatedly claiming "I am doing this for you!" The humor reverses the claim: her elaborate grooming actually delays their evening, annoys him, yet he eventually admits her dressed appearance reflects well on *him* at dinner, validating her original excuse. The accompanying cartoons mock marital dynamics: one shows a tiny man dwarfed inside a large woman's silhouette, and another depicts a man admitting he "once tried to stop her"—implying wives inevitably get their way despite husbands' attempts at control. The satire targets both female vanity masquerading as wifely devotion and male powerlessness in marriage, typical early 20th-century domestic humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
372 LIFE For the Benefit of Husband (*Do women dress to please the world or their husbands?” asks a Fashion Editor.) IKE a painter at his easel Stands she at her mirror preen- ing. I am crosser than a weasel, Cursing woman's vain-ward ing. “We are late already, Pet,” I remark, my nerves askew. “Dear,” she answers, “don't fret— I am doing this for you.” lean- you Such a mile of corset-lacing! Holy Jerry, did you eve Now she’s carefully replacing All her hairpins—tush! we'll never Get to Blunderson's to-night— Got to stop and fix her shoe! Hear her woman's reason light, “George, I'm doing this for you.” Al i il Hal Now with slow and careful fingers On her ears she screws her ban- gles— Seems an hour or two she lingers Sizing up those costly dangles. Then she asks, “ What shall I wear? That light Paris thing of blue Or my satin—George, don't I am doing this for you!” swear— Next I madly fall to hooking Up the back, a thousand places. Knees and neck are sore with crook- ing— D—n! they catch so in the laces! “Love,” I grunt, “why should you be Feathered like a cockatoo?” In the mirror smiling she Answers, “ Darling, all for you!” * . . * . e . Rather late we make an entry Up to Blunderson’s to dine there. All the ladyships and gentry Seem to form a double line there. WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY NDETTE OF A FAMOUS SUFFRAGETTE Someone whispers, “She's a queen!” I reflect her glory, too, (na line of smiles which mean, “O you lucky devil, you!” Riding homeward in the carriage I have lost all peevish traces And I bless the state of marriage As my arm entwines her laces. And I murmur, “ Dear, your dress, Just as far as I can see, Has achieved a great suce And you did it all for me!’ Wallace Irwin, In These Parlous Days I don’t marry her she threatens to make me pay twenty-five thou- sand dollars for breach of promise.” “Well?” “And if [do marry her she swears she will get ~ divorce, with a fifty-dol- lar-a-weel: alimony.” AWFORD: How is it you let your wife have her own way? : L once tried to stop her. comicbooks.com