Life — May 25, 1905 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Stock Quotations" (Life, page 599) This page uses animal and human caricatures to satirize major American corporations and industries circa early 1900s. Each illustration pairs a company name with a symbolic figure: - **Adams Express, Union Pacific, Brooklyn Rapid Transit, Western Union**: Transportation companies depicted with crude, animalistic characters - **United States Steel**: Shown as a mail carrier, suggesting monopolistic reach - **North American** (likely utility company): Depicted as a Native American - **Stock Quotations** (center): Features bears and wolves in business attire, a common metaphor for aggressive speculators The satire mocks these powerful corporations as predatory animals and uncontrollable forces. The crude depictions suggest criticism of corporate power, monopolies, and their perceived threat to ordinary citizens—reflecting Progressive Era concerns about unchecked capitalism and business consolidation.