Life, 1929-07-26 · page 17 of 36
Life — July 26, 1929 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes new U.S. paper currency design. The top cartoon shows a figure (appears to be Uncle Sam or a money personification) riding a speeding airplane labeled with dollar bills, with a smaller figure yelling "Hey, you! Cut out that speeding!"—mocking the rapid introduction of new currency. The bottom illustration depicts two men discussing the new bills, with one saying "I don't care much for realism. I'd rather read a good autobiography." This jokes that the new bills feature Franklin's portrait—suggesting Franklin's autobiography would be more interesting than his portrait's "realism." The accompanying text explains the new paper money's durability and color scheme (black face, green back), treating practical banking details with humorous commentary about wealth and marriage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ee eee Nh et dere A critic is a stowaway on the flight of someone else’s imagi- nation. Heicut oF INCONCEIVABIL- im: A phone operator with a southern accent. Treasury Notes All the new paper money is the same color, black on the face and green on the back. It is symbolical of the fact that you have to work yourself black in the face to get it, and be a mossback to keep it. Treasury officials say the new dollar bills can be folded 4,000 times before breaking, but try and do it before you have to break one. Franklin's picture is on the face of “Hey, you! Cut out that speeding!” “1 don’t care much for realism. I'd rather read @ good autobiography.” 15 the new $roo bills. It seems to say, “Take care of the ones and the hundreds will take care of them- selves.” And Chase's picture is on the face of the new $10,000 bills. If you don’t believe it, ask a bootlegger. The new money is sup- posed to last longer because it is made of a tougher paper, It'll last longer only if it goes to bed early and leads a quiet life. One advantage of the smaller paper money is that a man can get more of it in his watch pocket where his wife never looks. —Bennie Benson. comicbooks.com