Life — February 27, 1919 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily a **subscription advertisement** for LIFE magazine, not a political cartoon. The illustration shows a grotesquely caricatured figure (likely representing Prohibition or its effects) admiring himself in a mirror, holding what appears to be a flask. The caption reads: "The times are out of joint, O blessed light! I see that I was born to see 'em right." The accompanying text references the **Bone-Dry Law** (strict Prohibition legislation), suggesting the magazine's next issue will address this policy. The advertisement claims this will be "the saddest number ever issued," satirizing Prohibition's unpopularity. The joke targets Prohibition enforcement and its social consequences, presented as a "bone-dry" or humorless topic—a common complaint about Prohibition-era restrictions on alcohol.