Life — September 27, 1923 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Do You Need a Birthplace?" – Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes the "Chicago Ready-Cut Standardized Birthplace Company," a fake business offering prefabricated birthplaces for sale. The satire mocks the American obsession with prestigious origins and genealogy—suggesting wealthy or ambitious people might literally purchase a "better" birthplace retroactively. The top cartoons show the company's services: helping clients select appropriate birthplaces (rural cottages, city houses) to enhance their social standing. **The bottom cartoon**, "The Bench Warmers," depicts personified currency (Zero, Franc, Lira, Ruble, Mark) as derelicts, with the caption "Don't be a hog, move up." This satirizes how different national currencies were performing during economic uncertainty, likely referencing post-WWI financial instability. Together, the page ridicules both class pretension and international economic turbulence.