Life — April 19, 1917 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a political cartoon from April 19, 1917—just days after the U.S. entered World War I. The image depicts a mermaid or sea creature with long hair being pulled underwater by what appears to be a submarine or tentacled sea monster emerging from dark waters. The cartoon uses the classical "mermaid luring sailors" mythology as a metaphor for German submarine warfare, which had killed American civilians and merchant sailors. By portraying the submarine threat as a dangerous, seductive force pulling victims to their doom, the illustration warns Americans of the deadly U-boat menace that justified U.S. entry into the war. The imagery equates submarine danger with mythological peril—something treacherous and inescapable lurking beneath the surface.