Life — May 18, 1916 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Knocking William Shakespeare" This page satirizes a legal dispute over Shakespeare's authorship. William Selig, a Chicago moving-picture manufacturer, sued Colonel George Fabyan to prevent him from publishing materials claiming Shakespeare didn't write the plays—instead attributing them to Francis Bacon. The main cartoon, titled "Mr. Facing-Both-Ways," depicts Uncle Sam (identifiable by his top hat and stars) straddling a fence between "We Demand Our Rights" and "Peace at Any Price," illustrating the contradiction of supporting both positions simultaneously. The article notes that Judge Tuthill ruled in Fabyan's favor, requiring Selig to pay $5,000. The satire criticizes how the Shakespeare authorship controversy—then a serious intellectual debate—became entangled in commercial interests and legal wrangling.