Life — September 17, 1903 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine, September 17, 1903 This page features a satirical illustration titled "NIAGARA" with the caption: "IS THE GOD OF GREED THE FINAL DEITY OF THE FALLS?" The image depicts a figure embodying greed or commercialism—shown as a dark, demonic or corpulent entity—presiding over Niagara Falls with a caduceus (Mercury's staff, symbol of commerce). The composition suggests anxiety about capitalist exploitation of natural landmarks. The ornamental left border contains zodiac-like circular medallions, reinforcing themes of fate and inevitability. The satirical point appears to critique how commercial interests and greed were dominating and exploiting iconic American natural resources during the Gilded Age—a common concern in early 1900s American satire about industrialization's environmental and spiritual costs.