Life, 1917-02-22 · page 9 of 42
Life — February 22, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes gender dynamics and marital conflict through an absurdist scenario. The caption shows "Cain" complaining to "Eve" about her cow's appearance, while Eve defends modern fashion ("flaring skirts"), claiming her time was simpler. The joke hinges on anachronism: biblical Adam and Eve are depicted arguing about contemporary 1920s women's fashion—short skirts were controversial and considered immodest by conservative observers. Eve's defense that "my day things were much simpler" is ironic, since she's defending fashions that would have scandalized her actual era. The cartoon mocks both prudish male criticism of women's changing fashion and women's casual acceptance of these radical shifts. The artist (Otto Cushing) uses the biblical couple to comment on modern marriage tensions over evolving social norms.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Otho Cushing — Cain 1 THINK THE wood until I taught you how, you boob!” “What expressive language for a lady!” “Well, somebody has got to start slang-going for all the college girls who will come later. But I know you—, you're a hypocrite—so full of conceit it’s awful! . And trying to make me admit: something! Never! Never! And you know that snake is just listen- ing to everything!” Then the first real quarrel began. eeeee It was four hours later. The sun was just sinking to rest behind the ichthyosaurus garage. Eve's head rested on Adam’s shoulder, also he held her hand. . “Darling,” said Adam, tremulously, “now that for the first time in the history of the world this controversy about which is superior to the other is over and both of us realize fully that it is something which never can be set- tled, I should like to ask you a ques- tion.” “Yes, dear.” “You told me that I was stupid enough to think that you meant what you said .when you handed me that apple. Now, didn’t you really mean it?” In reply Eve laughed her low, mu- sical laugh, as she caught the snake, who was playing dead, winking at her solemnly with his off eye. “My dear boy,” she said, stroking WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY WIFE'S GOWN, MOTHER? NEW FLARING SKIRTS ABSURD, IN MY DAY THINGS WERE MUCH SIMPLER his head, “how stupid you actually are! Why, when I told you that I didn’t mean something, you didn’t even know whether I meant it or not.” “Well, dearie, Iam stupid. But tell me, you did mean all you said? You did, didn’t you?” “Why, if I hadn't I wouldn't be su- perior to you, would 17” 7. L. M. Made in Germany ULTUR. Hymns of hate. Submarines. Liquid fire. Poison gas. Zeppelins. “Me und Gott.” The war. comicbooks.com