Life — January 21, 1915 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical illustration critiques labor unrest in America. On the left, workers with signs reading "STRIKE," "ANARCHY," and "RIOT" are shown as violent, destructive forces—depicted as shadowy, aggressive figures attacking the entrance to a formal building. The right side presents the "United States of America" as an elegant, classical structure with statistics (population 100,000,000; wealth $107,104,211,917; area 3,028,789 square miles). A small, cartoonish dog wearing a U.S. Army hat sits guard below. The satire suggests that labor strikes and anarchist movements pose a threat to American prosperity and stability. The contrast between the chaotic mob and the dignified nation-building implies the cartoon's creator views strikes as barbaric threats to civilized order—a common anti-labor perspective of the early twentieth century.