Life — October 5, 1922 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Private Theatricals" This cartoon satirizes wealthy individuals staging elaborate private theatrical productions. The silhouetted figure in the foreground watches a theatrical performance with costumed performers on stage, while ornate curtains frame the scene. The caption references "the Goodrich twins" and their considerable wealth ("about a million each"), suggesting this depicts wealthy socialites entertaining themselves with expensive private theatrical productions. The joke appears to target the extravagance of the ultra-wealthy who could afford to stage elaborate plays purely for private entertainment—a luxury that would strike ordinary readers as absurdly decadent. The cartoon satirizes both the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy and the frivolous nature of their leisure activities during an era when most Americans could not afford such extravagance.