Life — September 2, 1915 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon depicts an editor critiquing an artist's drawings, saying "I think your drawings are very funny—er—that is—you meant them to be funny, didn't you?" This is a **visual joke about artistic intent and perception**. The editor appears uncertain whether the crude, exaggerated sketches are intentionally humorous or simply poorly executed. The satire targets both amateur artists who produce awkward work and editors who must diplomatically assess such submissions. The accompanying text, "Backbay," discusses a woman's snobbish family lineage and her efforts to educate her son about his ancestors. It illustrates **class anxiety and social pretension** common to the era—mocking aristocratic obsession with ancestry while suggesting such pride is baseless. Both pieces satirize American social pretensions of the period.