Life — April 10, 1931 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Comic Page This is a wordless comic strip sequence depicting a man's shopping expedition through various retail establishments. The panels show: 1. A shopper at home surrounded by merchandise catalogs 2. At a tailor shop ("Deluxe Tailors") 3. At a luggage store ("Trunks Travel") 4. At a camera/film shop ("Camel Films") 5. At a men's furnishings store 6. Purchasing stacked merchandise 7. At what appears to be a restaurant or food counter 8. At a movie theater The satirical point appears to be commentary on consumer culture and impulse buying—the protagonist accumulates increasingly absurd quantities of goods and experiences, suggesting the ease with which Americans could be persuaded to spend money on various commercial offerings. The humor derives from the escalating absurdity of his purchases and the contrast between initial catalogs and actual retail encounters.