Life — July 12, 1929 — page 21: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts the chaotic environment of a magazine office, likely *Life* magazine itself. The scene shows editors and staff in various states of activity: some seated at desks reviewing manuscripts, others standing with papers, and a prominent figure in the foreground wearing a cowboy hat holding buckets labeled "REJECTS" and "ACCEPTS." The humor targets the editorial process—particularly the rejection of submitted work. The buckets suggest that sorting manuscripts is routine, mechanical work. The casual, disorganized atmosphere and the diverse characters (including what appears to be a Native American figure) satirize the editorial staff's sometimes arbitrary decision-making about which stories merit publication. The cartoonist is Gardner Rea.