Life — November 16, 1928 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Identification Is Vexation" by Norman Jaffray This satirical piece mocks the banking industry's obsession with verification procedures. The author describes attempting to cash a check at unfamiliar banks, where he faced elaborate identity-verification requirements despite being an honest depositor. The humor lies in the absurd lengths banks went to confirm his identity—requiring distinguished witnesses and detailed physical descriptions—while simultaneously accepting obviously fraudulent credentials and paying out in pennies as obstruction. The cartoon above illustrates two young women playing with a toy zeppelin, visualizing the concept of frivolous distraction (the "Mayflower" being snubbed by a smaller "Graf Zeppelin"). The Yale-Princeton football diagram below charts the radio broadcast of that game, translating play-by-play commentary into visual strategy.