Life — May 6, 1886 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page This appears to be a satirical comic strip about New York construction and real estate development. The panels show: 1. **Upper panels**: "Exquisite Location on the Boulevard" - depicting a building site with workers and what appears to be a wealthy businessman surveying property 2. **Middle panel**: "Places of Great Future Development near Harlem" - showing industrial construction equipment and a ship/barge, satirizing speculation about developing areas 3. **Lower panels**: "Well-shaded Street" and "Even this was too Expensive" - depicting increasingly cramped urban conditions and expensive properties The satire targets New York's real estate market, mocking how developers marketed marginal or inconvenient locations as prestigious investments, and how prices remained exorbitant regardless of actual desirability. The Harlem reference suggests commentary on neighborhood development patterns of the era.