Life — March 18, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Life in the Far West" - March 18, 1920 This satirical cover depicts a Native American woman (drawn in the exaggerated style typical of 1920s caricature) carrying two children and holding copies of *Life* magazine. The figure wears traditional clothing with geometric patterns and a headband. The joke appears to critique the romanticized or stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans in contemporary media and popular culture. By showing her reading *Life* itself, the cartoonist may be satirizing how magazines like his own perpetuated simplified, exotic representations of "the Far West" and indigenous peoples for entertainment. The artwork reflects the casual racial caricature common in early 20th-century American humor magazines, now recognized as deeply offensive stereotyping.