Life — March 13, 1919 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Knees of the Gods" – Life Magazine Cartoon Analysis This cartoon depicts a street scene outside a "Cafe Universe" establishment. A woman in a short skirt is the central figure, with sailors and other figures surrounding her. The caption reads: "Marguerite: Is he? Say, Maggie! If he's as magnificent as they ain't a bit better'n mine if sit on, even if I don't wear 'em low-sicked!" The satire targets women's fashion—specifically the contemporary trend of wearing shorter skirts that exposed the knees, considered quite scandalous at the time. The "gods" reference humorously suggests that women's knees have become objects of attention and debate. The crude dialogue implies lower-class commentary on this fashion shift, mocking both the fashion itself and the public's obsessive focus on women's legs during this modernizing era.