Life — April 10, 1919 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a cartoon titled "Our Newest Millionaire," depicting a wealthy man admiring himself in a mirror while surrounded by servants and staff in an elegant interior. The caption reads: "DAMN! I WISH I WAS BACK IN THE GOOD OL' DAYS! IT WAS HARD WORK, BUT, BY GORRY! I USED TO QUIT WHEN THE WHISTLE BLEW!" The satire targets newly wealthy industrialists or businessmen of the early 20th century. The joke is ironic: despite achieving millionaire status, the character nostalgically longs for the simpler life of a working man with set hours—when he could leave work at the factory whistle. The cartoon mocks how wealth and status, while enviable, bring new pressures and anxieties that the character finds burdensome compared to his former working-class existence.