Life — October 5, 1922 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes ethnic and national stereotypes through caricatured "joke" figures at what appears to be Keith's Dry Circuit (likely a vaudeville venue). Each character is labeled by stereotype: "Irish Joke," "Dutch Joke," "Scotch Joke," "Springfield Joke," "Flapper Joke," "Office-boy Joke," and "Goat Joke." The setup mocks how entertainment of this era relied on crude ethnic humor and stock character types for laughs. A barker at left advertises "Exciting Laughter," while the crowd gathers to consume these pre-packaged jokes "for the good of the public"—suggesting the satirist is criticizing both the entertainment industry's dependence on stereotypes and the public's appetite for them. The cartoon likely dates to the 1920s, when vaudeville was dominant.