Life — December 13, 1917 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Traitors' Number" - Life Magazine, December 13, 1917 This satirical cartoon depicts a German military officer (left, wearing a Prussian spiked helmet) awarding numerous military decorations to a figure on the right, whose uniform is completely covered in Iron Crosses and other German honors. The cartoon's title "Traitors' Number" and caption—"the depths and shoals of honor"—suggest this mocks someone the magazine considered a traitor to America or the Allied cause during World War I. The ironic point: excessive German military honors indicate collaboration or sympathy with Germany rather than genuine honor. The visual joke emphasizes absurdity through the sheer quantity of decorations, suggesting hollow or illegitimate recognition. Without identifying the specific figure, the cartoon clearly criticizes wartime disloyalty.