Life — March 5, 1903 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"Pandemics"** mocks an Ohio doctor's claim that smallpox is now pandemic everywhere. The satire suggests this is an overblown medical pronouncement, contrasting it with diseases like diphtheria and scarlet fever that lack such dramatic claims. **"The Evolution of the Game Hog"** depicts hunting's evolution through three panels showing increasingly rotund hunters shooting game birds, satirizing wealthy sportsmen becoming lazier and more out-of-shape over time. **"Life's Fashions"** shows a caricatured figure in absurdly ornate formal dress, labeled the "official costume for mayor of an American metropolis"—mocking the pretentious ceremonial garb city officials wore. The page includes humorous dialogue snippets about marriage, childhood innocence, and job interviews, typical of *Life* magazine's satirical style.