Life — November 11, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine, November 11, 1897 This page features a single cartoon titled "Seeing is Believing." Two men sit in an artist's studio examining what appear to be paintings or artworks on the floor. The caption reads: "By Jove, old chap, how I wish there was no such thing as money!" with the response, "Well, we have no positive proof that there is." The satire appears to target artists or bohemians who claim indifference to wealth while surrounded by creative work. The joke suggests that despite their professed idealism about art transcending materialism, they have no actual evidence that money doesn't exist—implying both their financial struggles and the contradiction between artistic pretensions and economic reality. The decorative border contains various emblems typical of Life magazine's design.