Life, 1913-06-12 · page 12 of 44
Life — June 12, 1913 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This political cartoon satirizes women's suffrage activism during a wartime period. The illustration shows two figures on a platform above a crowd of raised hands—likely depicting suffragettes demanding voting rights while men are away fighting. The accompanying text mocks this timing, with dialogue suggesting that demanding "women's rights" during wartime is inappropriate ("hopping mad at that? That is how the war began"). The satire implies that women should wait until after the war ends to pursue political equality. The title "The Scarlet Letter" references Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel about social condemnation, suggesting the suffragettes are being marked as troublemakers for pressing their cause during national crisis. This represents anti-suffrage sentiment common during WWI.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE SCARLET LETTER hopping mad at that? That is how the war began One of these days man will say “What ails the women folks, anyway “They want their rights,” some one will answer. “What rights?” “T dunno.” “Very well. Let "em have them.” Then the ladies will bid their Ghost good-bye and pro- claim the war on an end. “Hurrah! We have won our rights. Let's all go home and let the men run things. How the children must have grown since we left home. I wonder if the baby will know me? I'm dying to putter ‘round the house CONSOLATION It's a long lane, fellows, but methinks I see a turn ahead. comicbooks.com