Life — March 15, 1928 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Life magazine cartoon depicts **John D. Rockefeller Jr.** (labeled at top) as a well-dressed figure helping an injured person labeled "The United States Government." The injured figure lies amid debris including an overturned banner reading "Oil Scandal," referencing what appears to be the **Teapot Dome scandal** (visible as "OIL SCANDAL" on a fallen shield). Signs in the background suggest government corruption or malfeasance. The satire's point is ironic: Rockefeller—a wealthy industrialist from the oil industry—is portrayed as the "Good Samaritan" rescuing government from an oil-related scandal. This likely critiques either Rockefeller's involvement in such scandals or sarcastically suggests the wealthy are positioned as saviors of corrupted government institutions, when they may actually be complicit in the problems.