Life — December 10, 1914 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *Life* magazine depicts predictions for "Life in 1950." The central portrait appears to be of a U.S. President, flanked by gravestones labeled "Here Lies Patriotic Fiction" and "Here Lies Eugenics and Hygienics"—suggesting satire about the death of certain ideologies or beliefs. Surrounding this are fantastical predictions: a "Woman" with exaggerated features, "Love" with a baby carriage, a "Man" in cowboy attire, a "Portable Wireless Telephone," a tall "Hotel," and a sphere labeled "Feminism." The artist (A.G. Walker, per signature) satirizes both utopian technological optimism and contemporary social anxieties about gender roles, feminism, and American identity—mocking predictions of future progress while questioning whether such changes are desirable.