Life, 1918-03-14 · page 15 of 40
Life — March 14, 1918 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is satirical commentary on German military and cultural figures, presented as four comic vignettes: 1. **Oberst Horatius holds already the bridge** - A Roman historical reference repurposed to mock German military heroism 2. **Professor Wilhelm Shakespeare writes "Die Mitsommernacht's Traum"** - Absurdist humor claiming Shakespeare was German 3. **General George von Washington at Valley Forge** - Another non-German historical figure "Germanized" with the "von" prefix 4. **Frau Sarah von Bernhardt recites "Die Wacht am Rhine"** - The French actress given German identity The satire appears to ridicule German cultural appropriation or exaggeration of their contributions to world civilization. By retroactively claiming famous non-German figures as German with comic exaggeration, Life mocks nationalist pretensions—likely reflecting WWI-era American skepticism toward German claims of cultural superiority.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE> Great Moments in the Lives of Great Germans 2. Professor Wilhelm Shakespeare writes “ Die sommernacht’s Traum.” 3. General George von Washington at Valley Forge. 4rp)Ftau, Sarah von Bernhardt recites “Die Wacht am Rhine,