Life, 1920-02-05 · page 13 of 52
Life — February 5, 1920 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes women's political participation, likely from the early 1900s. The upper illustration shows a domestic scene; the lower cartoon depicts a bull labeled "There Ain't No Such Animal" near the New York Stock Exchange. The text proposes a female presidential ticket: Amy Lowell for President, Edith Wharton for Vice-President, and female Secretaries of State and War. The accompanying commentary sarcastically suggests women should handle state documents privately rather than publicly, reflecting contemporary anxieties about female political authority. The bull cartoon appears to mock the idea of women in finance/politics as impossible or absurd—"there ain't no such animal." The overall piece ridicules the notion of women holding high political office, presenting it as fantastical rather than viable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
STOPPED AT THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE FIRST would be neutralized in others. Besides, if he were Presi- dent, someone else would have to run the post office.” “T do not know whether or not a woman can run for President, but if not, I should have the Constitution amended immediately. This ought not to be much trouble. Almost any minority can apparently amend the Constitution. This accomplished, I would suggest the following ticket: For President—Amy Lowell. For Vice-President—Edith Wharton For Secretary of State—Carrie Chapman Catt. For Secretary of War—Gertrude Atherton. “This is as far as I have been able to go at present, but other names will doubtless suggest themselves. Miss Lowell writes charming imagist verse, and we could count on her giving us state documents that would be perfectly lovely, as nobody in the world would have any idea what they meant. The trouble with our previous state documents has been that in places they were understandable. As long as the women rule us privately, why not publicly?” HEN a stranger moves to town his neighbors want to know all about him, but, first and last, where he gets “THERE AIN'T NO SUCH ANIMAL” his money. comicbooks.com