Life — February 17, 1921 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It's a full-page ad for The Prudential Insurance Company of America (home office in Newark, N.J.). The mural artwork depicts an allegorical scene with a central female figure labeled "Prudence or Security" on a throne, surrounded by floating symbolic figures representing virtues (Temperance, Increase, Order, Thrift, Foresight, Constancy). Below them are silhouettes of working people—carpenters, electricians, fishermen, farmers, etc. The message is straightforward corporate messaging: insurance provides security and protection for workers through prudent financial planning. The classical allegorical style and list of protected occupations aims to make insurance seem both noble and universally beneficial. The headline "Are You Insured?" is a direct sales pitch.