Life — May 20, 1926 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The LIFE Polar Expedition This page features "The LIFE Polar Expedition," a humorous travel narrative by Robert Benchley about a bicycle journey through New York State in May. The cartoon at top depicts expedition members on various bicycles—including what appears to be an adult on a standard bike, children on tricycles, and a boy on a very small vehicle—navigating city streets comically. The satire mocks expedition terminology and adventurous pretense applied to an ordinary suburban bike ride. References to "Ensign Thermalne," "Lieut.-Commander Connelly," and military ranks for casual participants inflate the mundane journey with mock-heroic language. The map shows their modest upstate New York route. The humor lies in treating a simple recreational trip as a serious polar/arctic-style exploration.