Life, 1913-05-22 · page 17 of 48
Life — May 22, 1913 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the absurdity of inheritance expectations and human greed. A couple (Frank and Mary) celebrates receiving a $100,000 bequest from a complete stranger. Their dialogue reveals the joke's irony: Frank expresses gratitude for inheriting from someone unknown, while Mary responds that she would have been content with *half* that amount from someone they actually knew. The satire targets the illogical prioritization of wealth over personal relationships—the couple values the larger sum from a stranger over a smaller inheritance from an acquaintance. The cartoon mocks both unrealistic inheritance fantasies and the corrupting influence of money on human values during the early 20th century. The formal Victorian-era setting emphasizes the respectable veneer masking this mercenary sentiment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WE CERTAINLY ARE LUCKY, FRANK! JUST TO THINK THAT A MAN WE NEVER MET SHOULD LEAVE US $100,000.” “YES INDEED, MARY! I WOULD HAVE DEEN SATISPIED IF WE HAD INIERITED $50,000 FROM SOME ONE WE KNEW QUITE WELL.” comicbooks.com .