Puck — November 12, 1879 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Puck cartoon satirizes marriage and divorce through a chain-link metaphor. The central image shows an enormous chain labeled "THE CHAIN THAT THE RICH CAN BREAK," depicting marriage as an inescapable bond—except for the wealthy. The illustration depicts the journey from courtship (top left, with carriages and celebrations) through "Wedding Rings" and "Felicitation," then downward to "Divorce" proceedings where wealthy figures easily escape the marital bonds. A man at bottom appears to be freed from the chain, "breaking" it effortlessly. The satire critiques class inequality: while ordinary people remain trapped by marriage vows, the rich exploit legal systems to obtain divorces unavailable to the poor. The chain symbolizes how marriage law operated differently based on social class and wealth in this era.