Life — November 30, 1928 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes 1920s city life and commercialism. A massive searchlight illuminates a crowded urban skyline filled with advertisements for tobacco, alcohol, and other products ("Smoke," "Drink," "Chew Sternos," "Marlboro Cigarettes"). The title "Lest We Forget" appears ironic—suggesting we should remember moral values, yet the image shows how commercial vice dominates the cityscape. A woman's legs advertise "punctureproof" hosiery that "cover a multitude of shins," making a crude pun on the biblical phrase "cover a multitude of sins." The overall message critiques how advertising and consumer culture have overtaken urban morality, with vice literally towering over the city. The searchlight may reference wartime imagery, creating tension between patriotic memory and present commercial excess.