Life — November 15, 1917 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Food Savers" - WWI-Era Satire This sketch satirizes wartime food conservation efforts. Wilkins, apparently a food conservationist appointed to enforce rationing in his district, visits his suburban home and insists on an austere meal—just carrot and onion—to set a patriotic example for the community. The humor lies in the hypocrisy: Wilkins claims moral duty requires visible sacrifice, yet his wife reveals he'd recently eaten lavishly at restaurants for weeks. The top cartoon shows a German soldier labeled "ALLIES," mocking the notion that eating less helps the war effort. The satire critiques both self-righteous wartime moralizing and the gap between public virtue-signaling and private excess during food rationing—a real concern during World War I.