Life — October 23, 1919 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a moment of maternal accountability. A fashionably dressed woman (representing a mother) stands before a mirror, while a small child points at a crude drawing labeled "This is MA" — a simple, unflattering stick-figure sketch. The satire appears to target vanity and self-image. The mother's elaborate clothing, decorative headpiece, and refined appearance contrast sharply with the child's honest, unsophisticated portrayal of her. The title "The Hour of Reckoning" suggests a moment of truth: the child's innocent artistic rendering reveals how a mother actually appears to her children, stripping away pretense and finery. This likely comments on the gap between how adults present themselves versus how they're perceived by those close to them, or perhaps critiques maternal vanity during this period.