Life — April 29, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This single-panel cartoon depicts a man in formal attire examining his own reflection in a mirror, with the caption "To see ourself as others see us!" The image appears to reference Robert Burns' famous 1785 poem "To a Louse," which contains the line "O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us / To see oursels as ithers see us" (Oh would some power give us the gift to see ourselves as others see us). The cartoon's meaning is philosophical rather than specifically political: it satirizes human self-perception and vanity, suggesting a gap between how people view themselves and how others perceive them. The formal-dressed man's serious expression while contemplating his reflection emphasizes this disconnect. The work appears to be commentary on human nature and self-awareness rather than commentary on a specific contemporary figure or event.