Life — November 26, 1896 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Thanksgiving Number, November 26, 1898 This is the cover of Life's Thanksgiving issue from 1898. The illustration depicts a fashionably dressed woman in an elaborate feathered hat gazing down at a lavish holiday feast—featuring a large turkey, wine bottle, and flowers scattered on the table below her. The cartoon appears to be satirizing the contrast between wealthy, upper-class women's elaborate consumption and display during Thanksgiving celebrations versus the actual holiday's traditional significance. The woman's exaggerated hat, fashionable clothing, and somewhat detached expression suggest mockery of Gilded Age excess and materialism. The decorative borders featuring chrysanthemums frame the seasonal theme. The artist's signature appears in the lower left corner. This represents typical turn-of-the-century American satirical commentary on wealth and social pretension.