Life — October 11, 1900 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Historic Bits—XXI This illustration depicts Commodore Perry's famous 1853 encounter with Japan. The large dark ship on the left represents Perry's American "Black Ships" that forcibly opened Japan to Western trade. The smaller vessels and boats show the initial confrontation in Japanese waters. The caption quotes Perry's famous report: "We have met the enemy, and they are ours," referencing his successful mission to end Japan's isolation policy. The satirical point appears to be commentary on American expansionism and military superiority—celebrating Western naval power imposing itself on Asian nations. For modern readers, this represents a pivotal moment when Western powers forced non-Western nations into trade agreements through military threat, a colonial-era practice now viewed critically.