Life — October 12, 1911 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Money Power" Cartoon Analysis This satirical piece depicts a conversation between two figures identified as **Braggs** and **Wags** about "money power" in the country. Wags claims there is "no such thing," while Braggs counters that he has a bank note and people are "bothering me to death about it." The illustration shows an older gentleman (likely representing a wealthy banker or financier) speaking with a younger, working-class boy in a modest interior setting. The satire appears to critique the **denial of plutocratic influence** in America—mocking claims that concentrated wealth holds no power while depicting the reality that money creates social obligations and hardship for ordinary people. It's commentary on class inequality and the pervasive influence of capital in American society.