Life, 1920-05-06 · page 14 of 56
Life — May 6, 1920 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This article satirizes Mr. Allan Ryan, a wealthy businessman involved in stock market dealings. The illustration shows Ryan as a portly, well-dressed man standing in a corner—a visual metaphor for punishment or disgrace. The satire concerns Ryan's attempt to corner the Stutz automobile stock market. When he tried to manipulate prices upward, the scheme backfired: the stock price rose unexpectedly high, embarrassing him. Rather than admit defeat, Ryan resigned from his position, creating the impression he was less interested in the stock's success than in his own financial gain. The "corner" imagery suggests public humiliation—Ryan is literally and figuratively isolated for his failed market manipulation and apparent indifference to broader economic consequences.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
E SAID IT, JON “How's “WHY, 1 WENT AN’ GAVE THE WIFE A YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION TO IT'S A STRENUOUS LIFE, AN’ WHAT'S MORE, THERE'S GOIN’ TO BE MORE OF IT!” THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL; THAT WAS LAST CHRISTMAS, AN’ IT’S GOT SEVEN MONTHS MORE TO RUN!” N the clatter that has come ont of Wall Street abont a thing called Stutz, it has seemed to some people that Mr. Allan Ryan lacked some- thing of the benign solicitude for the prosperity of his fel- lows that characterized his church-building father. That was because a num- her of people made en- gagements to supply shares of Stutz in various quan- tities, looked and when they around to obtain them, found the price had gone unconscionably high. It caused a good deal of embarrassment. More Stutz was needed than could possibly Standing in the Comer Allan with he had from anybody but Mr Kyan, and he declined to part any except at a price which, as said, The are wise about such matters said he was altitudinous doctors who had a corner in Stutz, and that that was unlawful, and that the contracts of persons who hoped to supply Stutz were not binding, and they need not Governors of the Stock that Mr. Ryan had done some kind of miscon duct. They stock list, and they might have done some- execute them Exchange seemed to feel took Stutz off the thing to him if it had not been that he beat them to the punch by resigning his seat. He seemed to want people that had engaged to supply Stutz to buy it of him at his price. gave the impression that he was less and that, as said, strong in benevolence than his vener- able But apparently he doesn’t feel father. all. There was a long and interesting article in the Sunday M'orld of Apr Ith about him, with his picture which he described himself ay almost indifferent to money, devoted to t! up in his famil stocks, ne simple life, wrappe and interested not in stock trades, nor in corners, but pure! He liked to have a little money so as now and then to get so in production factory it did before in following this bent he was doing r plant to produce more th He seemed to feel that about the best you could expect, ar of course the feeling that: produ is almost the supreme good has heer fortitied by the scarcity ef commedti- comicbooks.com