Life, 1924-10-23 · page 13 of 36
Life — October 23, 1924 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains six cartoon vignettes satirizing domestic life and marriage, likely from the early 20th century. The scenarios depict husbands making excuses to avoid household duties—claiming they'll hire a cook "when" (never), boasting about avoiding dishwashing, complaining about a wife's shopping habits, and generally shirking domestic responsibility. The humor targets middle-class marital dynamics, specifically husbands' resistance to housework and their empty promises. One panel references the wife's excessive spending on domestic items found in questionable places. The final caption, "You and Your Effort," suggests ironic commentary on male domestic contribution—or lack thereof. The satire reflects contemporary frustrations about gender roles and household labor division.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“SMILE, BABY, HUBBY WILL GET YOU A COOK—HE WON'T MAVE HIS DARLIN’ SLOPPIN’ NER PRETTY HANDS AROUND IN DISHWATER ANOTHER DAY—NOT ONE MORE DAY! AND WHEN HE SAYS HE WILL GET A COOK—HE WILL!” MY GOD—AT LAST—YOU’RE THE THIRTY-SECOND ONE I'VE PLEADED WITH TO-DAY—AND YOU'LL BE OUT THERE BY ONE O'CLOCK? 1'LL DRIVE YOU OVER TO SEVEN O'CLOCK MASS EVERY SUNDAY AND—OH, ANYTHING,” “yure uvseint! yure husbint! yan! 1 KNOW YURE KIND—YE LITTLE FLY-UP-THE-CREEK.” SS —_—— => “ONLY ONE IN HALP—A MILE TO THE MOVIES—VAIT ON DE TABLE—IN DE COUNTRY! ME! NoDDING DorN’!" “AND WHY DID YOU PUT MY BEST SILVER COFFEE POT AND YOUR OLD SHOES IN THE ICE BOX? WHERE DID MY HUS- BAND FIND YOU—IN A LUNATIC ASYLUM OR UNDER AN OLD FREIGHT CAR DOWN BY THE WHARVES?” YOU AND YOUR EFFORT comicbooks.com