Life, 1920-11-18 · page 26 of 44
Life — November 18, 1920 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a humorous thought experiment: "If Our Newspaper Cartoonists Had Been Old Masters." It reimagines contemporary cartoonists working in the styles of famous Renaissance and Old Master painters. The visible examples show: - **Hershfield and Reynolds as Rembrandt**: A crowded composition with multiple figures, imitating Rembrandt's dramatic lighting and group scenes - **Fisher as Da Vinci**: A portrait styled after the Mona Lisa - **Voight as Millet**: A rural/peasant scene recalling Millet's social realist work - **Goldberg as Beni** (likely Benvenuto Cellini): An elaborate, dynamic mythological or allegorical scene The satire suggests that newspaper cartoonists—working in a popular, commercial medium—possess artistic talents comparable to celebrated masters. It's a playful commentary on the artistic legitimacy of cartooning versus "high art," a debate that was live in early 20th-century American culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tilisher as DaVinci oldberg as Beni If Our Newspaper Cartoonists Had Been Old Masters comicbooks.comuas