Life — June 20, 1889 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Summer" - Life Magazine Illustration This sketch by Albert Sterner depicts a fashionable summer social gathering, likely from the early 1900s. The drawing shows well-dressed women and men in period costume engaged in leisure activities at what appears to be a seaside or resort location (note the structure in the background). The satire likely mocks the pretensions and social conventions of wealthy Americans' summer recreations—their elaborate dress, affected manners, and pursuit of fashionable entertainment. The crowded, animated composition suggests both the social climbing and sometimes ridiculous behaviors of the leisure class during the season. The signature "Albert Sterner" identifies the artist, a prominent illustrator of the era known for satirizing American high society.