Life — November 28, 1918 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "What We Give Thanks For" - Life Magazine This page presents post-WWI reflections on American gains from the war. The main article discusses intangible benefits—moral growth, national unity, and restored international relationships—despite material costs. The cartoon below satirizes domestic expectations for peacetime. Labeled "The Average Housewife's Hope of What Peace Eventually Will Bring," it depicts a woman (representing civilian desires) surrounded by people offering goods: food, milk, butter, bread, clothing, sugar, and coal. The labels reference wartime rationing and scarcity that Americans endured. The satire's point: while politicians celebrated moral victories and international alliances, ordinary Americans—particularly housewives managing household supplies—simply wanted basic consumer goods restored. The cartoon captures the gap between grand national rhetoric and everyday material hardships that citizens experienced.