Life — October 5, 1893 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This satirical page mocks a monument to "Eli Bates" at what appears to be a Chicago fair (likely the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition). The central image shows a statue of Lincoln atop a pedestal inscribed "THE GIFT OF ELI BATES." The surrounding sketches depict various grotesque figures—appearing to be caricatured fair-goers or statuary—positioned around the monument. The satire operates on multiple levels: the absurdity of honoring an obscure figure (Eli Bates) by using Lincoln as his monument's crowning element, and the crude quality of the surrounding sculptural work displayed at the fair. The caption's parenthetical "whoever that may be" emphasizes the obscurity of the honoree, suggesting the monument is an example of poor artistic judgment or misplaced civic pride.