Life — September 1, 1921 — page 27: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon by Charles Forbell references the biblical King Solomon, famous for having numerous wives (traditionally numbered at 700). The joke is absurdist: it imagines that fifty percent of Solomon's wives suffer from hay fever—a seasonal allergic condition. The humor works on multiple levels: it treats an ancient biblical figure's polygamy as a modern medical problem, and uses specific statistics ("fifty per cent") to add ridiculous mock-seriousness. The chaotic scene shows figures in what appears to be a grand hall or court setting, likely depicting the comedic pandemonium of so many wives experiencing allergy symptoms simultaneously. This is pure nonsensical humor typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines, playing with the incongruity of ancient scripture meeting contemporary ailments.