Life — April 5, 1929 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a crowded scene at "Café du Dôme" and "Tabac" (real Parisian establishments popular with expatriates). The caption "Look, Bill, a Frenchman!" suggests American tourists in Paris pointing out a local among the crowd of what appear to be fellow Americans. The satire targets American expatriates in 1920s Paris—wealthy tourists or residents who populated these famous cafés. By implying that a actual Frenchman is difficult to spot amid the throng of Americans, the cartoon mocks the insularity and dominance of American visitors in French cultural spaces. It comments on the phenomenon of American cultural imperialism and tourists' obliviousness to local culture, a common theme in Jazz Age satire.