Life — March 15, 1923 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Age of Realism" - Window Display Satire This three-panel cartoon by Gluyas Williams critiques retail window displays of the era. The title "The Age of Realism" suggests department stores should abandon purely fantastical or imaginative window displays. **Panel 1** shows unrealistic, whimsical scenes with exaggerated figures. **Panel 2** depicts "more realistic settings"—domestic and recreational scenes (cooking, sports, entertaining). **Panel 3** shows contemporary social life: women socializing indoors, a formal dinner party, people mingling at what appears to be an upscale event. The final caption proposes stores should display "life as it really is"—suggesting that retail windows should reflect authentic contemporary life rather than fantasy. This satirizes both consumer culture aspirations and the tension between escapism and realism in 1920s-30s merchandising.