Life — June 29, 1899 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains several satirical cartoons commenting on early 20th-century American politics and society: **"Return of Dreyfus"** (top): References the famous Dreyfus Affair, the French scandal involving a falsely accused military officer. The ship's return likely satirizes a comparable American controversy. **"No Step Backward!"** (middle): Shows a man in a Civil Service Garden struggling with a pig labeled "Statism," suggesting anxieties about expanding government power and bureaucratic control. **"Divine Right" and "Lions in Africa/McKinley's Year"** (bottom): Appear to reference President McKinley's policies, with animal symbolism (lion) possibly critiquing American imperialism or domestic political conflicts of his administration. The overall theme seems critical of governmental expansion and foreign policy adventurism.