Life, 1920-01-01 · page 30 of 48
Life — January 1, 1920 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920 *Life* magazine page satirizes labor strikes and union activity through contrasting narratives. The top images show a ghost-story trope (an old gentleman encountering spirits), captioned to suggest what "really would have happened"—a meta-joke about expectations versus reality. The main text presents a working man's diary documenting his attempts to find stable employment, repeatedly disrupted by strikes. The satire's target: the proliferation and apparent absurdity of labor actions. Each new job ends when workers strike—sometimes for unclear reasons (the "Shoe Lace Tippers' Local" strike where the diarist admits he "couldn't find out what the shoe lace tippers were striking about"). The cartoon ridicules both the chain-reaction nature of sympathy strikes and the perceived unreasonableness of labor organizing in the post-WWI period. The illustration of the fancy 1920 restaurant suggests contrast with the working man's precarious situation. The satire's political position: *Life* mocks labor activism as counterproductive and chaotic, preventing workers from maintaining employment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THL USUAL REPRESENTATION OF AN OLD GENTLEMAN IN A GHOST-INFESTEL HOUSE— All in a Day's Work (Extracts from the Diary of an American Workingman) MOXPAY—Reportec for duty at the mill as usual, On time. Put in full morning at the lathe. Every- thing O. K. Strike called at noon All hands quit. Went home. AND WHAT REALLY WOULD HAVE HAPPENED Tuesday—Strike. Wednesday—Strike. Thursday—Strike. Friday—Got tired of waiting for strike to be called off and hunted up a new job. Landed one the first time. Hose-handler in garage. Saturday—At garage on time. Found shop closed, nothing doing. Men on A RESTAURANT SCENE ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, 1920 strike for Saturday off. Went home. Sunday — Strike still on. Garage closed. Monday—Ditto. Tuesday—Ditto. Wednesday—Heard of a good job over in Greenville. Leather works, good pay. Went there and got taken on. Thursday—Everything O. K. Nice shop easy hours, good pay. Think I am going to like the work. Friday — Men called out on strike, All quit. Don't know why, Saturday — It's a sympathy strike ordered by the Shoe Lace Tippers’ Local No. 823. Sunday —All-day meeting at strike headquarters All hands voting to stand by the shoe lace tippers. Couldn’t find out what the shoe lace tippers were strik- ing about. Went home. Monday—Strike. Tuesday—Strike. Wednesday—Got a new job at the electric light and power works. Night work good pay. comicbooks.com