Life — February 18, 1909 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents a sequential comic strip depicting the life cycle of what appears to be a wealthy person or aristocrat, progressing through stages labeled: BUYING, TRYING, FLYING, LYING, GOING, SHYING, and DYING. The humor satirizes the indulgent lifestyle of the rich—beginning with purchasing luxuries (automobiles, goods), progressing through reckless enjoyment (flying, showing off), dishonesty ("lying"), evasion of consequences ("shying"), and finally death. The visual metaphor of a motorcar journey frames life as a wild, hedonistic ride that inevitably ends. This reflects early 20th-century satirical commentary on wealth, excess, and moral decay among the privileged classes. The repeated vehicles and increasingly chaotic scenes emphasize the frivolous, unsustainable nature of such living. It's a memento mori wrapped in social critique—a tongue-in-cheek warning that pleasure-seeking without substance leads nowhere.