Life — March 24, 1927 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# A Study in Political Economy This six-panel comic illustrates the principle of wealth concentration and labor exploitation. In panels 1-4, a well-dressed businessman repeatedly interrupts a child's work at a desk, each time causing disruption and chaos—the child's papers scatter, tools fall. Panels 5-6 shift to an outdoor scene where many laborers gather around a single supervisor holding what appears to be a log or beam. The composition suggests a large workforce serving one authority figure. The satire critiques how capital (represented by the businessman/supervisor) repeatedly disrupts or controls labor, ultimately concentrating power and resources among few while many workers remain subordinate. The title "A Study in Political Economy" indicates this documents systemic economic inequality and the hierarchical relationship between capital and labor.