Life — May 4, 1911 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical stained-glass window design mocking Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate and philanthropist. The central figure depicts Carnegie as a saint, with "Saint Andrew Skibo" labeled below (Skibo Castle was his Scottish estate). The surrounding panels chronicle his life and business exploits, including references to steel manufacturing, wealth accumulation, and his Carnegie Foundation philanthropy. The satire targets the veneration of wealthy industrialists as moral figures. By framing Carnegie in religious iconography—a stained-glass saint—Life magazine criticizes the culture that treats robber barons as benefactors worthy of sainthood, despite their ruthless business practices. The juxtaposition of his industrial empire with sacred imagery underscores the irony of treating capitalists as moral exemplars.