Life — May 1, 1919 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes business and labor conflict, likely from the World War I era (suggested by the 1918 date visible). A businessman labeled "BUSINESS" lies defeated on the ground with his fist raised, while children in the background appear to represent competing interests or factions (possibly labor, government, or opposing business groups). The Shakespeare quote "O' bot four houses!"—a misquote of Romeo and Juliet's feuding families—suggests the cartoon compares destructive business conflict to the tragic Montague-Capulet feud. The implication is that warring factions within the economy are destroying themselves through conflict, much as Shakespeare's rival families destroyed themselves through vendetta.