Life — September 23, 1915 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 551 The top cartoon, captioned "Cheese It! The Trophy Collector!," depicts a large group of animals (appearing to be various beasts and creatures) gathered around what looks like trophies or hunted remains. This appears to be satirizing trophy hunting or collection practices, likely commenting on wealthy individuals who hunted exotic animals for sport and displayed their kills as status symbols—a common upper-class pastime of the early 20th century. The lower illustration, "The Absence of Apparel Off Proclaims the Man," shows several figures in minimal clothing on a beach. This likely satirizes changing social norms regarding swimwear and public decorum, possibly critiquing modern attitudes toward modesty or the emerging "modern woman" of the era who challenged traditional dress codes. Both pieces use visual humor to mock contemporary social pretensions and shifting cultural values.