Life — October 27, 1927 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a comic strip from *Life* magazine showing a sequence of panels depicting vaudeville performers backstage. The title indicates the humor centers on a magician who has misplaced his railroad tickets—an ironic situation given that magicians are known for their sleight-of-hand and ability to make things "disappear." The strip shows the magician interacting with other vaudeville performers and what appear to be theater staff or handlers. The joke likely plays on the contrast between the magician's professional skill at making things vanish on stage versus his mundane inability to keep track of practical travel documents in real life. The final panel shows the magician apparently addressing an audience, suggesting the resolution or punchline of the forgotten tickets storyline.