Life — April 8, 1915 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents a series of sketch-based satirical vignettes labeled "His Handiwork," depicting various scenes of social vice and moral decay. The central circular panel shows a man at a desk labeled "Cupid" with bottles, suggesting he's profiting from romance or seduction. Surrounding scenes illustrate consequences: poverty, drunkenness, theatrical debauchery (marked "Stage Entrance"), and domestic despair. The satire targets a manipulative figure—likely a seducer, con artist, or exploiter—whose schemes damage vulnerable people: working-class women, drunkards, and families. The cumulative visual narrative critiques social predation and moral corruption in late 19th/early 20th-century urban America, presenting a cautionary tale about vice's ripple effects through society.