Life, 1900-12-27 · page 7 of 21
Life — December 27, 1900 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Cartoon Analysis (Page 553) This satirical illustration depicts a woman in a carriage driven by a horse, departing from an ornate gate with ivy. The caption reveals the joke: she paid $20,000 for a country estate six months ago and is now selling it for half price, lamenting, "Good heavens! is that the effect you have on a neighborhood?" The satire targets the real-estate market and social pretension. The woman represents a wealthy buyer who made a poor investment, suggesting her presence itself has devalued the property—implying she's either socially undesirable or that her arrival was so conspicuous it ruined the neighborhood's appeal. The humor mocks both speculative real-estate ventures and the anxiety about social status that characterized wealthy Americans of the early 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Billy: yes! 1 PAD TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THIS COUNTRY PLACE 81X MONTHS AGO, AND NOW I'LL SELL IT POR HALP PRICE, “Goon HEAVENS! 18 THAT THE EFFECT YoU NAVE ON A NEIGHBORMOOD?”