Life — October 25, 1883 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Cupid's Auc[tion]" - Life Magazine Cartoon This cartoon depicts an auction scene where several well-dressed men in top hats bid on what appears to be a cherub or cupid figure being auctioned off. The caption reads "GOING! GOING! GOING! [incomplete]" The satire likely mocks the commercialization of romance or love during the era—treating Cupid (the mythological symbol of love) as a commodity to be bought and sold at auction. The formal businessmen bidding suggest how modern commercial society had reduced even romantic ideals to market transactions. The ornate window display and shop setting emphasize this mercenary angle. Without the full caption, the specific social target remains somewhat unclear, though the general critique of commodification in modern life is evident.