Life — November 22, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a single-panel cartoon from *Life* magazine (page 821) depicting a theater scene. The image shows an orchestra pit with mechanical equipment visible above the stage, a grand curtain, and a packed audience below. A conductor stands ready before the crowd. The caption reads: "PATRONS WISHING TO GO OUT BETWEEN THE ACTS ARE REQUESTED TO USE OUR NEW DEVICE" The satire targets theatrical inconvenience—specifically the difficulty theater-goers face leaving during intermissions in crowded venues. The "new device" appears to be the mechanical apparatus visible above, suggesting an absurdly complex or impractical contraption meant humorously to solve a mundane problem. The joke mocks both theater management's over-engineering of minor issues and the frustration of audience members trapped in their seats.