Life, 1913-06-19 · page 22 of 52
Life — June 19, 1913 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American attitudes toward immigration and citizenship. The main cartoon uses a Native American framework (referencing Hiawatha and Nokomis) to argue that *everyone* is technically an "alien"—Spanish colonizers, American settlers ("Yankee squatters"), and Asian immigrants are all portrayed as interlopers with no inherent "right" to be in America. The satire's irony is sharp: by showing that all groups are equally foreign, it critiques nativist xenophobia and the arbitrary nature of deciding who "belongs." The joke suggests that Americans cannot logically exclude any group as aliens without acknowledging their own status as invaders. The page also includes a contest asking readers to identify the worst summer resort, and a brief joke about a woman's appearance that relies on period-specific social humor about feminine modesty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LE By What’s an Alien? Whispered little Hiawatha “Tell me grandam: what's an-alien?” And the old Nokomis answered, “Tis @ question very vexing— But if you look further down this Page of ‘Life’ you'll see it pictured You will find the answer outlined: “None of these—” First:—it seems he is a Spaniard Nest, appears a Yankee ‘squatter? Finally, an Oriental. Then, if you should ask me for my Frank and final definition I should answer,—I should tell you: None of these has any ‘right? here! All of them are interlopers! Every bloomin’ one is ‘ Alien’!” Ore othe Cushing Which is the Worst Summer Resort and Why? IFE Will Pay the Sum of One Hundred Dollars for the Best Answer to the Above Question, Which Con- forms to the following Conditions: Answers, whether in the form of prose or verse, must not contain more than two hundred words. In addition to the answer the paper should bear the name and address of the contestant, but nothing more. This rule is im- portant and failure to observe it or any of the following rules may debar the contribution. All manuscripts must be addressed to Tue Contest Epitor oF Lire, 17 West 31st Street, New York. All entries to this contest must reach LIFE office not later than July 15. The contest will close at noon of that date. Announcement of the winner will be made in LIFE as soon thereafter as possible. It is not necessary to be a subscriber to LIFE in order to compete. The contest is open to every one and each contestant may send as many answers as he desires. All manuscripts published during the course of the con- test will be paid for at our regular rates. No manuscript will be returned. The editors of LIFE will be the judges. They will award the prize to the answer which, in their judgment, is the most deserving. In These Days Wire: You say you saw Miss Pickleton walking on ce avenue. What did she have on? I can't recall. she must have had on something.” “Quite possible, my dear; I probably overlooked it” comicbooks.com