Life — April 29, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Psychic Wave Has Reached Bushnelleville" This satirical illustration depicts a fortune-telling or spiritualist shop scene, likely mocking the early 20th-century craze for spiritualism and psychic phenomena. The caption suggests that even a small town ("Bushnelleville") has been reached by this trend. The image shows a crowded shop with two women appearing to conduct a séance or reading at a table in the foreground, while numerous townspeople crowd around, observing intently. The composition satirizes how spiritualism had become a widespread cultural phenomenon, reaching even remote communities. The satire targets the gullibility of ordinary people who believed in psychic powers and spiritualist practices, mocking both the practitioners and the eager customers willing to pay for such services. This reflects Life magazine's frequent critique of popular superstitions and pseudoscience.