Life — November 26, 1903 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page features "Heart to Heart Talks" by Andrew Carnegie, the wealthy Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. The main illustration shows Carnegie holding architectural plans for a library (labeled "Plan for LIBRARY No. 1,464,537-A"), standing before a pedestal displaying his bust. The satire targets Carnegie's famous library-building campaign: he funded over 2,500 public libraries across America and Britain. The cartoon mocks the scale of this effort through the absurdly high library number, suggesting mass production rather than genuine philanthropy. Carnegie's text discusses "graft" and making money, touching on his rags-to-riches narrative. The smaller cartoon below shows fish discussing disappearing fish—likely satirizing Carnegie's tendency to offer moralistic advice despite questionable business practices during the Gilded Age.