Life — March 13, 1919 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page features a political cartoon titled "Bolshevik" showing rats arranged in a line, their tails forming the word "BOLSHEVIK." The text references last week's "Bone-Dry Number" (likely referring to Prohibition content) and announces next week's issue will have a Bolshevik cover and center-page cartoon. The satire equates Bolsheviks (Russian communists) with rats—a common dehumanizing cartoon trope of the era. This reflects post-1917 anti-communist sentiment in America, when Bolshevism was widely portrayed as a plague or infestation threatening society. The accompanying letter from a U.S. Army chaplain discusses distributing *Life* magazines to soldiers, normalizing the publication's satirical messaging to military audiences during this politically charged period.