Life — February 8, 1923 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Dust of Drifts" - A Winter Urban Scene This page presents a poem by W.D. celebrating winter's beauty in natural settings ("forest floor," "woodland's lore"), contrasted with urban hardship. The accompanying sketch illustrates this tension: a well-dressed man in a long coat stands observing a child with a toy taxi in snowy city streets. The caption reads: "Street Imp: Hey, Mr. Taxi-starter, gimme a hand here, woncha?" The satire targets wealth disparity during winter. While the poem romanticizes snowy forests, the cartoon depicts urban poverty—a street child playing with a toy taxi while asking a prosperous man for help. The "taxi-starter" (taxi driver or affluent person) represents those insulated from hardship, contrasting sharply with the vulnerable "street imp" surviving winter's cold in the city.