Life — November 23, 1928 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Everyday Deeds That Pass Unsung" This cartoon satirizes the ivory trade and elephant hunting in Africa. The image shows colonial hunters with rifles marking down an elephant—depicted as if "marking" it for future use as pool balls (billiard balls made from ivory). The caption "Marking Down Promising Ivory for Next Season's Pool Balls" is the satirical point: it treats the slaughter of elephants as a casual commercial enterprise, with hunters casually "shopping" for future materials. The exaggerated, comedic style of the drawing emphasizes how routine and unremarkable such hunting was to Western consumers who benefited from ivory products. The satire critiques both the exploitation of African wildlife and the detached commercialism of Western leisure culture.