Life — February 28, 1918 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains two satirical cartoons from *Life* magazine: **Top cartoon:** A cosmic scene depicting a figure blowing Earth away like a dandelion seed, illustrating anxieties about catastrophic world destruction—likely referencing early 20th-century fears about war, technology, or social upheaval. **Bottom cartoon:** A domestic scene where a First Lady asks a Second Lady whether animals really think. The Second Lady responds affirmatively, claiming she "married one who does"—a cutting insult suggesting the First Lady's husband lacks intelligence. This satirizes upper-class social pretension and marital dynamics, using the device of a woman's pointed insult delivered in polite company to mock either a specific political figure or types of society wives. Both reflect *Life's* tradition of biting social and political satire.