Life — December 31, 1903 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis This *Life* magazine cartoon, titled "As Seen by President Roosevelt," depicts an allegorical scene with three figures. A central robed figure (labeled "Clotho Hanna, Lachiesis Quay and Atropos Platt") stands elevated, gesturing downward toward two seated men below. The caption references the Greek Fates (the three figures named), suggesting Roosevelt's view of political manipulation by Republican party figures. The names reference Mark Hanna, Joseph Quay, and Thomas Platt—powerful GOP operatives of the early 1900s. The satire appears to critique Roosevelt's perception that these party bosses controlled political outcomes through hidden machinations, reducing elected officials to puppets of fate. The imagery equates their power with mythological forces beyond human control.