Life — September 9, 1886 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Great Race" This satirical cartoon depicts a horse race where the jockeys appear to be wealthy or prominent figures engaged in competitive struggle. The image is titled "The Great Race" with the caption "Not their born, art he kept and very best lovers." The cartoon likely satirizes economic or social competition among the upper classes during the Gilded Age era of *Life* magazine. The exaggerated caricatures and dynamic racing composition suggest mockery of how the wealthy pursued status and profit with intensity comparable to actual sporting competition. Without clearer identification of specific figures, I cannot definitively name the jockeys, but the style and subject matter indicate social commentary on class competition, greed, or industrial-era rivalries that would have resonated with *Life*'s satirical audience.