Life — November 23, 1916 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 890 **Main Cartoon ("On the Wrong Trail"):** Depicts a man lost among towering books and papers labeled with various topics, with a mountain in the background. This satirizes people pursuing wrong or misguided intellectual paths—"shrinking from knowing." **"His Tread" Comic:** A dialogue between Willie Willis and his mother about what "measured tread" means. The mother explains using his father's drinking habits as an example ("measured about two quarts"), implying the father drinks regularly. The accompanying illustration shows three fashionably-dressed women. The caption "Invisible Hosiery for Certain Physical Imperfections" suggests this is an advertisement disguised as humor, promoting stockings that hide perceived flaws. **Left Column Satirical Notes:** Include commentary on naval commissions, cost of living, the 1912 sinking of the Lusitania, and wartime casualties—typical early WWI-era satirical barbs.