Life, 1912-11-07 · page 27 of 60
Life — November 7, 1912 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon satirizes labor-capital conflict through three figures: one labeled "TRUST" (representing big business monopolies) being attacked by two men representing Capital and Labor. The joke is that these supposed antagonists are actually fighting the same enemy—suggesting they should unite against trusts rather than fight each other. Below are two unrelated comic vignettes: one showing a prodigal son returning home (classical reference to biblical parable), and a burglar setting an alarm to rob a house at 4 AM, joking he'll "get even" since there's nothing worth stealing—satirizing either poverty or worthlessness of the household's possessions. The page appears to be early 20th-century commentary on economic inequality and class struggle.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHEN CAPITAL AND LABOR DISAGREE =: Clara married her husband to reform him. Did she succeed ? RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL Burglar: Not A THING WORTH TAKIN’. WELL, PLL GET EVEN THE FATTED CALF HAS GROWN UP WITH TIM, I'LL SET THIS ALARM FOR FOUR O'CLOCK ! comicbooks.com