Life, 1914-12-03 · page 28 of 92
Life — December 3, 1914 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a title page from James Montgomery Flagg's satirical series in *Life* magazine. The illustration depicts **Washington's crossing of the Delaware River** — the famous 1776 Revolutionary War moment — but reimagined as comedic chaos. The sketch shows soldiers struggling in a boat amid floating debris and ice, with the caption naming "John Paul Jones" (a naval commander), suggesting confusion about which historical figure led this particular operation. The satire appears to mock either: - Popular misunderstanding of Revolutionary history - The romanticized versus messy reality of the crossing - Period confusion about which hero did what Flagg was a famous illustrator known for WWI propaganda posters. This series lampooned American historical narratives through deliberate inaccuracy and visual humor — essentially asking readers: do we really know our own history?
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life’s Pictorial Histsiys of the United States ‘By James Montgomery Flagg WASHINGTON’S JUSTLY CELEBRATED JOURNEY ACROSS THE FRIGID DELAWARE