Life — October 29, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Those Lions" Cartoon This satirical cartoon from *Life* magazine (October 29, 1885) makes a joke about British imperial power using the biblical story of Daniel in the lion's den. The setup presents a Sunday-school teacher asking an American boy why the lions didn't touch Daniel. The boy, who reads newspapers, answers that the lions were "afraid to"—because they were **British lions**. The joke satirizes British military and political dominance during this era. By equating British power with dangerous lions, the cartoon suggests Britain's imperial strength made other nations reluctant to confront it. The American boy's newspaper-reading knowledge drives the humor, implying that British dominance was so obvious even children reading current events understood it.