Life — August 3, 1922 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Buck Up, Lady Vere de Vere" - Life Magazine Satire This page contains a poem addressing "Lady Vere de Vere," a name referencing old English aristocracy. The satire mocks a wealthy but struggling noblewoman worried about her social reputation and appearance for crowds and cameras. The poem reassures her that her blue blood and family pedigree matter more than her current financial difficulties—she needn't work, as her aristocratic status suffices. The accompanying illustration shows a professor teaching children about industriousness using an ant metaphor, concluding with dark humor: the busy ant "gets stepped on." Together, these pieces satirize both class pretension (aristocratic anxiety despite poverty) and the gap between work ethic ideology and actual outcomes for ordinary people.