Life — February 1, 1923 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon illustrates Benjamin Franklin's maxim "God helps them that help themselves." The scene depicts a portly, elderly man (appearing to represent an older generation or establishment figure) watching from inside a doorway as a woman in fashionable 1920s dress—with bobbed hair and a cloche hat—departs or arrives. The joke likely critiques the "modern woman" of the Jazz Age, who embodied new independence and social freedoms that shocked traditional society. The contrast between the disapproving older figure and the confident, stylish younger woman suggests generational tension over changing social values. The Franklin quote implies the younger generation's self-reliance, whether viewed approvingly or critically, was the natural consequence of their determination to shape their own lives.