Life, 1900-02-22 · page 5 of 20
Life — February 22, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine satirizes stereotypes about wealthy New Yorkers versus self-made men from other regions. The illustration depicts an elegant dinner party scene with fashionably dressed guests in what appears to be a wealthy New York setting. The caption contrasts two types of wealthy men: the typical New Yorker (educated at Columbia, inherited money) versus a self-made businessman from Ohio or Jerusalem who "made his money himself, and never wasted any time on education." The satire targets class pretensions and educational snobbery—mocking the assumption that inherited wealth and Ivy League education make someone superior to someone who achieved success through business acumen alone. It's a commentary on American attitudes about old money versus new money during the Gilded Age or similar prosperous period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
She; YES, BUT HERE 18 PATHER; IE WAS BORN IN NEW YORK, WAS EDUCATED AT COLUMBIA, AND INHERITED IIS MONEY. 1 CALL HIM A TYPICAL NEW YORKER. He: SORRY NOT TO AGRER Wirt YoU. “way Nor, PRayt”? “BECAUSE THE TYPICAL NEW YORKER 1S BORN RITIRA IN O10 OK JRRUSALEM, HAS MADE MIS MONEY MDISELY, AND NEVER WASTED ANY TIME ON RDUCATION." comicbooks.com