Life — October 29, 1914 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Medusa—Up to Date" This satirical illustration shows a woman's face with an expression of shock or distress. The image plays on the classical mythological figure of Medusa, whose snake-hair turned viewers to stone. In this "up to date" version, instead of serpents, the woman's head is topped with modern objects: what appears to be a birdcage and a container labeled "WITCH'S BROTH FOR BEAUTY" (text partially visible). The satire likely mocks contemporary women's fashion, beauty culture, or social anxieties of the early 20th century—suggesting that modern women's elaborate or ridiculous adornments have made them as monstrous as the mythological creature. The cartoonist uses classical mythology as commentary on contemporary vanity or artificiality.