Life — May 6, 1915 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Cartoon Analysis: "Tourists of 1920" The top illustration depicts a colonial-era scene where a European guide gestures toward indigenous people and settlements below, captioned "THIS WAS EUROPE." This is satirical role-reversal: it imagines non-European peoples as tourists observing European civilization as a historical curiosity—reversing the typical colonial power dynamic of European tourists studying "primitive" societies. The bottom cartoon, titled "HOW IT ALL BEGAN," shows Adam receiving a letter of introduction, likely referencing humanity's origins in Genesis. This appears to be setup for subsequent satirical commentary. The accompanying essay discusses prohibition and rum distilling, suggesting the page combines visual satire about colonialism with commentary on contemporary American alcohol policy—a major political issue in 1920.