Life — March 11, 1909 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon contrasts human evolution with fashion cycles. The bottom panel shows three historical periods—Stone Age, Age of Bronze, and Iron Age—each depicting people in progressively more clothed states, mimicking archaeological progression. The top panel shows an elaborate "Temple of Fashion" with classical columns and well-dressed spectators, featuring a peacock displaying its plumage. The joke appears to be that fashion operates like a natural evolutionary cycle, yet modern high society treats fashion trends as sacred or inevitable—much like nature itself. The satire mocks how fashionable society elevates clothing choices to near-religious significance, following trends as automatically as humans evolved through prehistoric ages. It suggests fashion devotion is primitive instinct dressed up as civilization.