Life — December 12, 1907 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Boy President: Or Rollo in the White House" This satirical piece mocks a young U.S. President (identity unclear from image alone) through the character "Rollo," a naive boy-figure. The cartoon depicts Rollo collecting customs duties in San Domingo (Dominican Republic), which he views as personal profit rather than official responsibility. The satire targets the President's immaturity and self-interest: he treats government duties like a child's game, pocketing money that should benefit the nation. References to "the Monroe Doctrine" and American republics suggest this concerns early 20th-century Caribbean/Latin American interventionism. The joke is that the "Boy President" cannot distinguish between public office and personal business—he's literally too childish to govern responsibly, reducing serious foreign policy to childish treasure-collecting.