Life — October 27, 1921 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# LIFE Magazine Picture Title Contest Page This page announces LIFE magazine's contest for the best title to their cover picture. The prize structure offers $500 for first place, $300 for second, $200 for third. The cartoon below depicts two well-dressed men observing a scene with a broken-down automobile, onlookers, and a dog. The dialogue reveals the satire: one man (Gwendolyn) asks if the other (John) is really going to marry "all that money," and whether the engagement has been formally announced. John replies it's only been announced "informally—among his creditors." The joke targets a wealthy man whose financial situation is apparently so dire that creditors are essentially his primary stakeholders. The satire mocks both excessive debt and the mercenary nature of engagements based on presumed wealth.