Life, 1924-06-19 · page 23 of 40
Life — June 19, 1924 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon depicts two Black men in rural/poverty conditions discussing William Jennings Bryan's presidential prospects. The dialogue reveals the satire's point: while one character expresses uncertainty about Bryan's electoral viability, the other states he's actively teaching his grandchild *not* to vote for him. The joke targets Bryan—a three-time presidential candidate known for populist appeals—by suggesting that even those in the poorest circumstances recognize his unsuitability and actively work against him. The rural setting and dialect humor (typical of period satire, though offensive by modern standards) emphasizes that Bryan's rejection comes from those with the least political power, making his unpopularity seemingly universal. The cartoon likely dates to one of Bryan's campaigns (1896, 1900, or 1908), using working-class opposition to mock his political viability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-* LIFE AGnfidenfiak2CGuide-@ time it take s to pr More or Less Serious At 7 Eye and Ear Entertainment rt i Blossom Time. ty-N play better sane old-fashion Cyrano “de Bergerac e Hampden’s revival of « it was ac Fata Morgana. Street Follies. Garrick aint—and what it, ge hame Woman. its merit is White Cargo. Daly's le Jestie James f The Melody Man. ec Abie’s Irish Rose. Comedy and Things Li cide pect ae ne ee Plain Jane Poppy. Ap Spring Cleaning tertaining dirt ‘ N N NM a + | ae Mose; PORES YUM THINK MISTAH BRYAN WILL EVER BE ELECTED PRESIDENT? Rastus: ait pox’t KNow BUT AH IS TEACHIN’ MAM GRANDCHILL UN Not TO VOTE FOR HIM, comicbooks.com