Life, 1917-08-09 · page 23 of 42
Life — August 9, 1917 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This WWI-era satirical cartoon mocks the disconnect between patriotic sentiment and actual wartime sacrifice. The top cartoon shows King Solomon (representing wisdom/authority) in a department store, where various workers and customers express enthusiasm for the war effort while revealing their shallow motivations or self-interest. The satire targets: **The hypocrisy**: Employees mouth patriotic phrases—enlisting, supporting the Red Cross—while obsessing over appearance, gossip, and business profits. A shop owner celebrates the war hasn't hurt sales. **False patriotism vs. real sacrifice**: Contrasted against these self-serving attitudes are brief monologues from those genuinely suffering—a poor woman eating only scraps, another with a sick child and hospitalized husband, all struggling to afford Red Cross buttons to appear patriotic. **The joke**: Department store culture—commerce, vanity, romantic drama—collides absurdly with genuine wartime hardship. The wealthy and comfortable perform patriotism while the truly sacrificing masses bear actual costs. The cartoon critiques how wartime nationalism became commodified, allowing people to feel patriotic through tokens (buttons, donations) while remaining fundamentally self-absorbed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
King Solomon: In the Department Store FLOORWALKER: I knew our troops were over there all Sure! s' Connars (with significant glance at ribbon counter): think I'll enlist to-morrow, Might as well die in France as anywhere. Canpy Crerk (taking another stick of gum): My, I do feel so sorry for them poor Belgiums. How does my hair look, Mame? Lac k: An’ he said to me, he said, “ Honest, f I ain't killed on the battlefield, an’ live to come back, an’ you've as much as spoke to another YOU'RE A CUTE LITTLE THING. WHERE “CM ONE OF YOUR MAJESTY'S WIVES.” “{ THOUGHT YOUR FACE LOOKED FAMILIAR, fellow, I'll kill myself right there.” My! I'm so scared I don’t dast look ata fellow. Casuier: He's only a lieutenant now, but of course he'll be a general before long. I'm making him a swell comfort bag, and when he comes back: Casu Girt: Gee, I wish I was growed up. I wanna be a Red Cross nurse. Patriotic The hasn't hurt business in the least. We'll make another contribution to the Red Cross. Porter: I'se bought mah Liberty Bond, got mah Red Cross button, mah Proprietor: war sewer liRact a bo YOU LIVE? eldest and only boy is in de ahmy, an’ Ah ain’t ett nawthin’ but chitlin’s an’ cone pone foh a month. Now if dat ain't patriotism, what am it—tell me? Scruswoman: My baby’s sick, my husband's in the hospital with a broken leg, an’ I'm all stove up with rheuma- tiz, but I'd die disgraced if I didn't have a Red Cross button. Linen Cierk: An’ he says, “ Honest to goodness, Mame, I’m plumb nuts about you, you've got me going for fair.” Then he takes the ribbon out of my hair an’ says he’s goin’ to wear it till he gets back, an’ if he’s killed, it will be buried with him. No, ma’am, that’s the cheapest we've got. comicbooks.com