Life — November 18, 1920 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Page 900: Social Satire The main cartoon titled "AFTER THE READING" depicts a well-dressed man reading aloud to a reclining gentleman while a dog sleeps nearby. The caption satirizes pretentious cultural consumption: the reader claims he's "worked on this play nearly two years and want your candid opinion," to which the listener replies dismissively, "All work and no play, old dear." The accompanying article "Royal Pedagogues" mocks American parents who hire foreign tutors hoping their children will adopt European refinement and manners, rather than developing "selfishness and egoism." The humor lies in critiquing aspirational middle-class parenting and cultural snobbery. The bottom cartoon shows a domestic dispute about divorce, with dialogue emphasizing that arguments with wives prove pointless—a commentary on marital conflict and gender relations of the period.