Life, 1885-03-12 · page 1 of 16
Life — March 12, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine, March 12, 1885 **The Cartoon: "Somewhat Too Much of This"** This satirical drawing depicts a disheveled, elderly businessman drowning in a deluge of coins and financial papers. The caption reads: "Old business himself: AND THEY EXPECT ME TO FLY AROUND AND BE LIVELY IN SUCH A DELUGE!" The satire targets American business culture's unrealistic expectations. The figure—representing "Old Business" personified—is overwhelmed by his own success and the excessive material accumulation it produces. Rather than celebrating wealth, the cartoon critiques the exhausting, dehumanizing nature of relentless commercial pursuit during the Gilded Age. The flood of money becomes burdensome rather than liberating, suggesting contemporary anxieties about capitalism's pace and demands on society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ae cok a ‘VOLUME. Vv. sist NEW YORK, MARCH 12, 1885. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. sganirceetes b Ten Cents 30 @ ‘OPY ii SOMEWHAT TOO MUCH OF THIS. siness himself: AND THEY EXPECT ME TO FLY AROUND AND BE LIVELY IN SUCH A DELUGE! comicbooks.com