Life, 1921-07-21 · page 13 of 34
Life — July 21, 1921 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical cartoons about class distinctions and social pretense in early 20th-century America. **Top cartoon**: A horse dealer negotiates with wealthy gentlemen, claiming a "thoroughbred" horse is worth a thousand dollars and pretending to let them purchase it cheaply to get a "refined" owner—obvious sales manipulation targeting the wealthy. **Bottom left**: A weekend visitor complains about winter cold to hosts, suggesting they're unprepared or their home is inadequate—satirizing complaints from privileged guests. **Bottom right**: Two characters discuss a supposed "college professor" who is actually "nothin' but a plumber"—mocking social pretense and false credentials or misleading claims about occupations and status. The unifying theme: exposing fraud, class anxiety, and the gap between appearance and reality in American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
h it, 1es; ka; Ss Dealer: That there ’orse is worth a thousand, ma’am. I’m letting you ‘ave ‘im for eight *undred on account of ’im being a thoroughbred an’ wantin’ ‘im to ‘ave a refined ‘ome. Week-end Visitor (resigned to his fate): 1 suppose “Dern ye, Bill! Ye told me a plumber lived here it’s fearfully cold here in the winter. an’ he’s nuthin’ but a college perfesser!” comicbooks.com