Life, 1917-11-29 · page 9 of 40
Life — November 29, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A satirical depiction of Russian government officials as demons stewing in a cauldron of "fiery alcohol." The caption names three Russian beverages—absinthe, vodka, and John Barleycorn (whiskey)—satirizing Russian drinking culture and corruption. The demonic figures represent low-spirited government officials consumed by vice. **Bottom Section:** "Make-up of the Average Russian" presents a numbered list of negative traits (conceit, whiskers, childishness, hot air, superstition, etc., totaling 100) meant as satirical character analysis. The accompanying cartoon shows Russian peasants with livestock, captioned "They Were All Good Judges of Clothing in Adam's Day," mocking Russian backwardness and primitiveness. **Context:** This reflects early 20th-century American stereotypes portraying Russia as corrupt, uncivilized, and alcoholic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“AND WHO ARE THOSE LOW-SPIRITED SHADES STEWING IN THAT VAT OF FIERY ALCOHOL?” “RECENT GOVERNMENT CONSIGNMENTS. THEIR NAMES ARE ABSINTHE, VODKA AND JOUN BARLEYCOR, Make-up of the Average Russian (Judging from Petrograd despatches) wn Whiskers . Childishness Hot air Superstition ...... Gullibility .. Dirt ... Impracti Ignorance . Wildness .. ii naw axa “AYJHAT makes you think equal suf- frage would benefit your wife?” “Tt would force her to make up her mind on something at least once a year.” THEY WERE ALL GOOD JUDGES OF CLOTHING IN ADAM’S DAY comicbooks.com>