Life — May 29, 1931 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis: "Pleasing the Masters" and Related Content The main cartoon depicts an interior decorator working in a home while a woman (likely the homeowner) watches with exaggerated facial expressions. The caption reads, "It's a good job, but there ain't no future in it." The satire targets the precarious status of service workers—here, an interior decorator—who lack job security despite performing skilled labor. The woman's dramatic pose suggests anxiety about the work's quality or cost. The accompanying poem "Pleasing the Masters" (credited to E.L.) satirizes women attempting to adopt artistic sophistication by abandoning makeup and adopting intellectual pretenses—referencing "Kraff-Ebing and all 'isms"—to impress educated men ("masters"). The shorter pieces below address unrelated topics: American revolutions in Central/South America and European economic depression, typical satirical fare for Life magazine's commentary on contemporary affairs.