Life — July 27, 1922 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a single-panel cartoon depicting a working-class boy carrying what appears to be a lunch pail or work gear, standing against an industrial building marked "POST NOHELL" (likely "Post No Bills"). The joke critiques child labor and lack of educational opportunity during the industrial era. When asked if he's going to night school—an avenue for working children to gain education—the boy responds "No, goin' to work." The cartoon satirizes the economic desperation that forces children into factory work rather than education, even evening instruction. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about child labor practices in American industry and the barriers poor children faced in accessing schooling.