Life — November 14, 1930 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Pent Up Figures" - Life Magazine Satire This page presents mathematical puzzles about household economics disguised as humor. The main scenario concerns a penthouse tenant at New York's Hotel Pierre paying $12,500 yearly rent—an astronomical sum for the era. The satire targets **wealth inequality and the cost of living**. The article mocks the absurdity of calculating daily expenses (rent breaks down to $34.24 daily) while listing incidental costs like toothpaste and grapefruit juice. The cartoon shows a wealthy woman telling her cook "Mamma doesn't eat anything but pills—and once in a while a tomato," sardonically suggesting the rich must economize despite obscene housing costs. The lower cartoon's caption about a cow is unrelated commentary on rural life.