Life, 1928-07-12 · page 8 of 40
Life — July 12, 1928 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This "Pyramid Diddling" cartoon satirizes Egyptian tomb construction excess. The top panel shows seated Egyptian officials reviewing architectural plans while workers display various building materials and designs. The central narrative mocks a Pharaoh ("His Royal Pomposity") obsessed with building an ever-larger pyramid despite his builder's protests about conformity and practicality. The humor targets bureaucratic absurdity: the builder complains the pyramid must follow standard specifications, but the Pharaoh demands it be "twice that material means" larger. The satirist ridicules both the ruler's vanity-driven extravagance and the builder's helpless frustration with impossible demands. The broader target appears to be contemporary government waste and official stubbornness—using ancient Egypt as a comedic parallel to mock wasteful public projects regardless of practical objections.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
took a not- ion for huts or pyramids, teepees or stys he wigwessed across to his Bungalow - Boss and tattled his new enterprise: Now, Mister Bah- Gee,” for instance says he, be- hesting a new pyramid,”You'll kind- ly inform us how large and enormous you think you can make it, old kid.” <4) “Your Royal Pomposity, such curiosity star- QO! tles me almost to fits, since building enor- mity goes in conformity with what the builder man gits. With a specified number of brickbats and lumber I'll build one about to your eyes but, Your Highness Imperial, twice that material means 1 can double the size.” Then the doer of deeds took a hitch at his tweeds and slanted a wink at the Queen and he sput- tered to Tut ofa peach of a cut in a perfectly trig magazine: "Your Joblots Majestic, no chateau domestic could interest a na- bob like you but see what the printer's supplied for your squinters to leer and luxuriate through! Now, Muck-a-Muck Kingly, considering singly the various idees I've got, here’s one that is classy, styled ‘Tripe Demi Tassy'—but just taxe your pick of the lot. Here’s one tricked with gables (that room could be Mabel's) and look at those mission bell towers! ou This one is rococo. Here’s one just as loco, with appliqued jiblets and flowers’ 10 “Bah-Gee, you old coot, these messes don't suit, they're over-bedizened and sweet. ™ Your taste is Centennial, I seek the perennial, so make it not gaudy but neat.” ”’Tis well, old Big Leaguer! Your Majesty's eager to have it as simple as rain, so, you be the Doctor and I the Concoctor’++++++++++++++ +++ Our photograph shows it was plain. comicbooks.com