Life — April 27, 1916 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Lest We Forget" This editorial cartoon commemorates the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, which occurred on May 7th (the text references an upcoming anniversary issue on May 9th). The image depicts a demonic or skeletal figure—likely representing Germany or the perpetrator of the attack—impaled on a sword or spike, standing amid battlefield debris labeled "Belgium." The cartoon conflates two major German atrocities from World War I: the invasion of Belgium and the 1915 Lusitania sinking, which killed nearly 1,200 civilians including 128 Americans. The title "Lest We Forget" urges remembrance of these war crimes. The grotesque imagery serves to demonize Germany and rally American sentiment, particularly relevant as the U.S. was debating entry into the war.