Life — September 26, 1930 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This page satirizes a 1920s-era corporate publicity stunt. Mayor George L. Baker of Portland, Oregon received an invitation to a dinner celebrating installation of a massive 1,850-horsepower boiler by the Pacific Northwest Public Service Corporation in Troy. The top cartoon mocks the absurdity: a man asks "Who, me get married! Say, do you think I'm crazy?" — equating marriage to accepting this dinner invitation. The implication is that attending such a corporate event is an equally binding, ridiculous commitment. The bottom cartoon shows a society dinner where a guest claims to be "a wine merchant, yet honor" — likely satirizing pretentious business figures attending corporate celebrations disguised as prestigious social events. The satire targets corporate self-promotion dressed up as civic honor and entertainment.