Life — November 20, 1902 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Great Coal Famine" Cartoon This cartoon satirizes the 1902-1903 coal shortage crisis affecting America. The dialogue between Mr. and Mrs. Turkey suggests coal will be scarce for heating during winter ("hardly be any coal for thanksgiving day"). The cartoon anthropomorphizes the turkey as facing the same fuel crisis as American households. The joke plays on the turkey's impending doom at Thanksgiving combined with the literal threat of freezing without coal—a double crisis. This references the anthracite coal strike and subsequent shortage that left many Americans unable to heat their homes during winter months, making fuel scarcity a genuine public concern of the era. The satire mocks both the energy crisis and the looming holiday threat.