Life — September 5, 1918 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis The main illustration depicts a figure in classical/Roman military dress (labeled as "Mars," the god of war) speaking with a portly civilian gentleman wearing a top hat. The caption reads: "CHICAGO PACKER: I CAN'T BEGIN TO TELL YOU, OLD MAN, WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR ME." This satirizes the relationship between the military-industrial complex and Chicago's meatpacking industry during World War I. The "packer" (meatpacking magnate) profited enormously from wartime demand for provisions, while Mars (war personified) credits him with the profits war generates. The cartoon critiques how industrialists enriched themselves through military conflict—a common Progressive-era complaint about war profiteering and corruption.