Life — October 11, 1917 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1918 *Life* magazine page discusses wartime food rationing and conservation during World War I. The article "Thoughts on Food" references President Wilson's efforts to encourage food economy, noting that bread boards and corn-based foods have become commonplace as substitutes for scarcer items. The cartoon below depicts three men in an office setting. According to the caption, they represent three social classes: a self-satisfied businessman, an assistant secretary to a vice-president, and a business owner. The satire appears to mock the pretensions and social hierarchies of office workers during wartime austerity—contrasting their comfortable indoor positions with soldiers in trenches (mentioned in the article), while all supposedly share the burden of food rationing.