Life — March 14, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts an elaborately dressed female figure (labeled "vivandière"—a woman who followed armies to sell provisions) as a military supplier or war profiteer. She's laden with supplies marked "TRACTS," "PROHIBITION," and other labels, suggesting she peddles various social causes or reform movements like merchandise. Below her, two wounded or exhausted soldiers lie among military debris, appearing to suffer the consequences of her activities. A Red Cross dog stands nearby, suggesting humanitarian concern amid the chaos. The satire appears to critique how social reform movements—particularly Prohibition and other "tracts" or ideological campaigns—are commercialized or exploited for profit, leaving ordinary people (soldiers/citizens) damaged in their wake. The vivandière represents opportunistic profiteering from social causes.