Life — May 6, 1920 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel comic depicts the frustrations of a tall man at the theater. In each scene, the man in formal attire sits among shorter patrons, but his height consistently obstructs others' views of the stage. The sequence shows escalating annoyance from surrounding theatergoers—their expressions grow increasingly angry as they crane their necks and gesture in frustration. The humor relies on a relatable social conflict: the tall man cannot help his height, yet his mere presence ruins the experience for everyone behind him. There's no resolution—the final panel shows him entering or leaving, likely having caused disruption throughout the evening. This satirizes the common theater etiquette problem of tall patrons blocking sightlines, presented as an ongoing social awkwardness with no easy solution.