Life — January 25, 1929 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Cover, January 25, 1929 This satirical cartoon depicts what appears to be a costume ball or masquerade scene. Two figures in elaborate period dress (possibly meant to evoke 18th-century French aristocracy) converse with a child. The dialogue reads: "What are you supposed to be?" / "Louis XVI." / "My God—that's what I am!" The humor likely references the economic situation of 1929—just before the stock market crash in October. The joke appears to mock wealthy Americans who, despite their lavish costumes and pretensions to sophistication, are essentially living like doomed French royalty (Louis XVI faced the guillotine during the French Revolution). This suggests satirical commentary on the precarious position of the American wealthy elite and impending economic catastrophe.