Life — December 17, 1925 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical map titled "By One Who Has Never Been There," drawn by Cesare (signed "Cesare Hoover"). It depicts the Nile River region in exaggerated, humorous fashion—showing Egyptian landmarks including temples, the Nile Delta, and various tourist sites labeled with period details (Thoth River, Van Abbleland, Cleopatra, Ptolemy, etc.). The satire mocks armchair travelers and guidebook knowledge—presenting Egypt through comically distorted geography and tourist-focused stereotypes rather than accuracy. References to Howard Carter and mentions of curses ("A Curse for Every Tomb") likely allude to the King Tutankhamun tomb discovery (1922), which generated sensationalist Western fascination. The subtitle's irony—"By One Who Has Never Been There"—is the core joke: the map parodies how outsiders imagine exotic places through imagination and secondhand sources.