Life — October 17, 1930 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Cartoon Analysis This cartoon depicts the dedication of "Station A-JAX," an aircraft presumably designed for bombing ("Explosives" is marked on its fuselage). The scene shows what appears to be a public ceremony with dignitaries and crowds. The humor centers on a man in the foreground (drawn in solid black, suggesting prominence) who is coughing. Onlookers react with phrases like "Hey look, Charlie! Made a hole-in-one!" and "Hurry up, Mam-ma!" — treating his cough as if it caused the visible destruction in the background. The caption reads: "Say—how do you suppose I put with you coughing!" This satirizes military aviation, suggesting that a simple cough from an important person at a dedication ceremony caused more damage than the expensive new aircraft was meant to inflict. It's social/political satire mocking either the aircraft's ineffectiveness or the absurdity of military procurement.