Life — November 4, 1915 — page 34: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This October-themed page from *Life* magazine contains several satirical cartoons: 1. **"Fame and Merit Are Unlike"** (left): Shows a skeleton labeled "Fame" towering over a small figure labeled "Merit," satirizing how celebrity often overshadows actual accomplishment. 2. **"Who'll Buy?"** (right): Depicts a vendor hawking hot air and wind-related goods to children, likely mocking commercialization or inflated promises in advertising. 3. **"Wireless Phone to Honolulu"**: References early wireless/radio technology as a novelty or exaggerated claim. 4. **"Harvard Boy Has a Chair of Plumbing"** and **"His 62nd Birthday"**: Appear to be social satire about pretentious academic appointments and aging. The page uses October imagery (pumpkins, witches) to frame these critiques of early-20th-century American culture, commerce, and social pretension.