Life, 1911-04-27 · page 15 of 44
Life — April 27, 1911 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration depicts two working-class immigrant men (likely Irish, based on the dialect in the caption) perched precariously on a skyscraper beam above a cityscape. The satire mocks the "get rich quick" mentality among immigrants and the working poor during the early 20th century. The joke plays on naive fantasies of sudden wealth: when asked what he'd do if someone offered him a million dollars, the man responds he'd fake an injury ("lay down on me face") and sue for damages—revealing how immigrants saw litigation as their only path to wealth rather than honest labor. The cartoon satirizes both the desperation of working-class life (dangerous jobs, low wages) and the widespread belief that personal injury lawsuits offered quick fortunes. It's a commentary on class aspiration, legal culture, and immigrant struggles in industrial America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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