Life — December 10, 1925 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon imagines King Solomon—biblical figure famous for his wisdom and numerous wives—hosting a Christmas dinner. The joke depicts the chaos of managing multiple households during the holidays. On the left, Solomon's many wives stand in a doorway. On the right, he struggles to carve an enormous Christmas turkey for the assembled crowd of family members stacked on tiered benches. The speech bubbles show wives complaining in various accents about domestic grievances—puddings, headaches, eye problems—suggesting the comedic impossibility of keeping multiple spouses happy during holiday festivities. The satire targets the logistical nightmare of managing plural marriage during a major holiday celebration, treating Solomon's biblical polygamy as a domestic farce. It's humor based on cultural assumptions about marital discord and holiday stress, rather than pointed political commentary.