Life — March 20, 1924 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising and narrative fiction**, not political satire. The main image shows a hotel scene advertising **Oshkosh Luggage** (wardrobe trunks). The accompanying story "In the Line of Business" describes a banker negotiating reimbursement through a purchasing department, establishing that the luggage is "inconspicuous in circles where essential niceties are taken for granted." The narrative satirizes **corporate bureaucracy and class pretension**: a banker must justify business expenses through proper channels, and the luggage serves as a marker of respectability and business propriety. The Oshkosh company positions their product as suitably discreet for the professional classes. Additional ads for Elizabeth Arden skincare appear on the right. This is typical 1920s magazine advertising targeting affluent readers.