Life, 1924-08-14 · page 11 of 36
Life — August 14, 1924 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents five historical vignettes satirizing human progress and civilization. Each panel depicts a famous historical figure in an absurd situation that deflates their dignity: **1307 A.D.**: Little Willie Tell demonstrates optimism by keeping a corkscrew in his desk drawer. **1600 A.D.**: Will Shakespeare and Francis Bacon deny meeting at the Mermaid Tavern, blaming other fellows instead. **1789 A.D.**: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette discuss bombs at breakfast. **1871 A.D.**: Sir Henry Stanley encounters someone hiding in bushes during his African expedition. **1924 A.D.**: The final panel shows "civilized humor" triumphing over prehistoric ancestors—five modern men with an umbrella demonstrating superiority. The overarching message satirizes the era's belief in linear human progress and civilization's supposed superiority, suggesting modern behavior isn't meaningfully advanced.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
—From the Ground Up 1307 A.D. ittle Willie Tell: rorra, WHAT 18 AN optimist? Will Shakespeare: nN’ MEET YOU IN THE cll, Senior: AN OPTIMIST, MY BOY, IS A FELLOW WHO MERMAID TAVERN LAST NIGHT? STILL KEEPS A CORKSCREW IN HIS DESK DRAWER. Francis Bacon: No, SiRRAH, IT HAVE NEVER BEEN IN (N. B.—He got the job.) THE MERMAID TAVERN, “NEITHER HAVE I. 1T MUST I BEEN A COUPLE OF OTHER FELLOW 1789 A.D. 1871 A.D. Louis XVI: PAwBLEU! THAT MOB MEANS Bi SESS, Sir Henry Stanley (in Darkest Africa): come, MARI I FOUND THREE BOMBS ON MY BREAKFAST come! wno's HIDING IN THIS BUSH? TABLE THIS MORNING, Voice: ¥o' pr LOND, POSS—DEY AIN'T NOBUDDY HEAT Marie Antoinette: Boo-H00! Boo-HOo! TH-THOSE "CEPTIN’ JUS’ US CHICKENS! WEREN'T DOMES, THEY WERE MY PIRST B-B-BISCUITS THAT [ MADE BY MYSELF TO s you. 1924 A.D, THE TRIUMPH OF CIVILIZED HUMOR, WHEREBY Homo Sapiens DEMONSTRATES HIS SUPERIORITY OVER HIS PREHISTORIC ANCESTORS, comicbooks.com