Life, 1913-06-05 · page 25 of 52
Life — June 5, 1913 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes gender inequality at weddings through two related jokes. The top dialogue depicts a man at a formal reception claiming he kicked "Miss Period" under the table, mistaking her leg for furniture—a crude excuse implying women are overlooked or treated as objects in social settings. The bottom cartoon, titled "Equal Rights," directly addresses the satire's point: it questions why grooms receive minimal attention at public weddings compared to brides. The sketches show brides in elaborate wedding dresses commanding focus while grooms stand marginal. The caption sarcastically asks why grooms shouldn't share "popular attention." This appears to be early 20th-century social commentary on traditional wedding customs that center entirely on the bride, humorously arguing for male inclusion—likely a tongue-in-cheek critique of how women dominated these social occasions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“MISS PERIOD REFUSES TO SPEAK TO ME SINCE 1 KICKED HER UNDER THE TABLE, EVEN THOUGH 1 APOLOGIZED AND TOLD HER | THOUGHT IT WAS THE TABLE LEG.” “WELL! CAN YOU BLAME HER? LOOK AT THE TABLE LEG.” EQUAL RIGHTS WHY SHOULD NOT THE GROOM HAVE A SHARE OF POPULAR ATTENTION AT A PUBLIC WEDDING? comicbooks.com