Life — June 1, 1916 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a heraldic coat of arms from *Life* magazine (June 1, 1916), a satirical American publication. The shield is quartered with white spheres and a rat, guarded by two figures—one wearing military dress on the left, one demonic with horns on the right. An eagle crowns the shield above. The Latin motto reads "FORTITER IN VERBUM" ("Boldly in Word"). The imagery appears to reference World War I tensions, likely satirizing German militarism and American policy responses. The demonic figure probably represents Germany, while the military figure represents American or Allied forces. The spheres likely symbolize weapons or ammunition. This mocks the grandiose pretensions of the combatants through mock-heraldic parody.