Life — July 28, 1904 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Tibet and Trade" - Life Magazine Political Satire This page satirizes British imperial expansion into Tibet under the guise of missionary and commercial "civilization." The article criticizes Lord Curson (the Viceroy of India, identifiable from context) and other British officials who justify military intervention in Tibet by claiming moral and spiritual superiority over "haughty heathen" Tibetans. The accompanying illustration, titled "Snapshots in Hades," depicts the moral consequences of this imperial aggression—showing figures descending into hell, suggesting the satirist views Britain's military actions as morally corrupt despite their civilizing rhetoric. The satire mocks the disconnect between Britain's claimed peaceful intentions and its actual use of military force to impose trade and Christian values on resistant populations.