Life — September 7, 1911 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Life" Magazine Page: "On Humbugs" and Social Satire This page satirizes **pretentious hypocrisy** through two pieces: **"On Humbugs"** (left): A prose essay distinguishing types of humbugs—from the self-deceived person who genuinely believes in their own superiority, to the calculated charlatan who knows he's fraudulent. The text notes that "humbugerry" is a "lawful profession" and observes that even clergy and politicians qualify as humbugs, suggesting widespread social dishonesty. **"Revised (With Apologies)"** (right): A cartoon showing what appears to be a **wealthy fashionable man** at a tailor shop, obsessing over trivial details of dress (Prince Albert coats, squeaky shoes). The satire mocks upper-class vanity and materialism—the irony being that despite elaborate grooming, such people remain fundamentally hollow or fraudulent. Together, the pieces critique American social pretension and the gap between appearance and reality.