Life — April 26, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "When the Hun Comes to the U.S." This 1917 cartoon depicts a brutish German soldier (the "Hun," a WWI-era slur for Germans) confronting a civilian man at what appears to be an American home. The soldier, dressed in military gear and appearing violent, addresses the civilian with a chilling proposition: "Having killed my wife and children, won't you step inside and have a glass of grape juice?" The satire references German atrocities in Belgium and France during WWI—particularly allegations of mass killings of civilians. The darkly ironic "grape juice" reference mocks American pacifists or isolationists who hoped to coexist peacefully with Germany, suggesting such naive hospitality would be obscene given German brutality. The cartoon warns Americans of the danger posed by failing to oppose German militarism.