Life — January 9, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains anti-war commentary from WWI era Life magazine. The top illustration depicts "When the Glad Tidings of Peace Reached the War Profiteers' Office"—showing wealthy businessmen's muted, disappointed reactions to peace news, satirizing how munitions manufacturers and defense contractors profited from prolonged conflict and would lose income if fighting ended. Below, the poem "Maid in Germany" by Dorothy C. Walker addresses a German girl, expressing sympathy for her suffering—lost father, shattered dreams—before "the world can forget." "The Hand Grenade" illustration shows a child reaching toward an explosive device, likely commenting on warfare's impact on innocent civilians. Together, these pieces critique both war profiteering and the human cost of conflict on ordinary people, especially children.