Life — April 5, 1917 — page 29: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical illustration titled "In Ye Goode Olde Days: Dyschargyng Ye Cooke" (Discharging the Cook), presented in mock-archaic language. The cartoon depicts a medieval or Renaissance cathedral interior where what appears to be a cook or servant is being violently expelled or executed by armed guards and nobility. Multiple figures with weapons surround the scene while onlookers watch from galleries above. The satire likely mocks the casual brutality of historical "good old days"—a common target of early 20th-century American humor. By presenting extreme violence against a servant in antiquated style, the cartoon critiques romanticized nostalgia for the past, suggesting that prior eras were actually far less civilized or humane than contemporary society. The joke plays on the contrast between nostalgic idealization and historical reality.