Life — December 4, 1919 — page 27: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a humorous illustration from *Life* magazine showing twelve Boston Terrier dog faces, each labeled with a human emotion: Inquiry, Disappointment, Joy, Contentment, Sympathy, Misery, Disgust, Grief, Amazement, Humor, Longing, and Love. The joke is anthropomorphic—the artist (signed "Hal Oaky") claims dogs can express complex human emotions through facial expressions alone. By carefully arranging the ears, eyes, and mouth position in slightly different ways, each sketch convincingly suggests a distinct emotional state. The satire gently mocks sentimental pet owners who project elaborate feelings onto their animals. It's playing on the common Victorian and early-20th-century tendency to romanticize pets as emotionally sophisticated companions, suggesting that what owners "read" in their dog's face says more about human perception than canine psychology.