Life, 1911-12-07 · page 43 of 112
Life — December 7, 1911 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page presents satirical takes on familiar nursery rhymes and social commentary. **Top cartoon ("The Agnostic"):** A lone boy stands apart, watching other children crowd around a toy shop window. The title suggests he represents skepticism or doubt—he won't join the materialism and consumerism the other children eagerly pursue. **Bottom cartoons ("One More Version"):** These offer darkly humorous retellings of "Old Mother Hubbard." The left panel shows the nursery rhyme's traditional setup; the right panel's punchline subverts it—the dog, feeling satisfied after consuming Old Mother Hubbard herself as "a good hearty meal," leaves "the poor pup's all alone." It's gallows humor playing on cannibalism and abandonment, typical of Life's irreverent satirical style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
One More Version Old Mother Hubbard, But the dog said, “I feel She went to the cupboard Like a good hearty meal,” To get her poor dog a bone. And now the poor pup’s all alone, comicbooks.com