Life, 1916-07-06 · page 17 of 42
Life — July 6, 1916 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon: "Great Americans"** This satirizes J. Heretige Knutt (a fictional figure), depicted as a wealthy businessman with an ostentatious waistcoat collection. The story mocks the absurdity of American capitalism: a man fires his employee, then the employee casually reveals he's bought controlling interest in the company and is now president. The joke exposes how in Gilded Age America, wealth could instantly overturn hierarchies—the employee simply outbids his former boss. The satire suggests the instability and absurdity of business competition based purely on money. **Secondary Content:** - **"Gnu Gnatural History"**: A light pun about the animal's "gnarl" and "gnash" sounds. - **"Family Tool Cabinet"**: Humorous advice suggesting families deliberately fill it with useless items—gentle satire on household clutter and domestic inefficiency. - **Bottom cartoon**: References "Preparedness Cranks" wanting a "big navy," likely alluding to early-1910s military expansion debates. The page exemplifies Life's satirical approach to American commercialism and contemporary social issues.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE: GREAT AMERICANS. J. HFRETIDGE KNUTT, WHO HAS PROBAnI WAISTCOATS governed your decision. I bid you good morning.” I hastened, thereupon, down to Wall Street. I saw my broker. [ found that the controlling interest in that tire com- pany could be bought for eight hundred and some odd thousand dollars. I bought it. I had myself elected president, At three o'clock in the afternoon I returned. He was still sitting there—smoking one of his own cigars this time. “You are discharged,” I said. now president. Next time—" y THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF FANCY ‘THE WORLD He smiled. “Tf you don’t mind,” he replied, “Tl leave my things in my desk, Il be back here at the end of the week. third time this has happened since the first of the month. I'm used to it.” “Oh, you are,” [ sneered.“ Well, what makes you think you'll be back again?” This time he actually chuckled. dn't run your business with- This is the he replied. “Perhaps you hadn't thought of thai 17 Gnu Ganatural History HE gnarly Gnu his flanks may lash And strive to gnip the But while the Gnu may gnarr and gnash, That gnome the Gon. AG. at in two; at will gnaw the Notice to Go Over a Family Tool Cabinet idea of this cabinet is to fur- nish amusement to the family, when they have scratched up all the Re else furniture and done all the da where they can think of Therefore Do not replace or put back anything that you take out of these drawers. dl remove Try, if possible, to select from this cabinet some article or tool that is psolutely indispensable, leaving sly out in the back yard it prefer If you have anything hanging about your room that is of no earthly use, you might store it in one of these drawers. Remember that the main idea of ing this cabinet on the premises is gradually to fill it with utterly useless things. And remove from it at the same time all the useful things. Patience! Keep at it and you are hound to succeed, “ WHAT AILS OLD MAN NOAM LATELY?” “OM, HE'S JUST ONE OF THESE PREs PAREDNESS CRANKS, WANTS A BIG NAVY.” comicbooks.com