Life — April 20, 1905 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two separate satirical cartoons about American tourist attractions and their commercial potential. The top cartoon depicts El Capitan in Yosemite Valley covered with advertising text—"Self Raising Snowbent," "Dried Food," and other product names. It mocks how natural landmarks were being commercialized through aggressive advertising during the early 1900s. The bottom cartoon suggests Kentucky's Mammoth Cave would make "a fine subway," depicting a tourist railway and crowds. This appears to satirize the era's obsession with modernization and commercial development, even of natural wonders meant to be preserved in their original state. Both cartoons critique the tension between preserving natural beauty and the commercial impulse to exploit scenic areas for profit and tourism—a tension that remains relevant today.