Life, 1919-06-05 · page 27 of 46
Life — June 5, 1919 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This May 1915 cartoon satirizes Germany's conduct during World War I. The central figure is a caricatured German official holding an "Allies' Peace Terms" document, reacting with horror to Allied demands after German atrocities. The surrounding vignettes mock German hypocrisy: - **"Prohibition Bills"** references American alcohol bans (contemporaneous social issue) - **"The Week of Mourning"** alludes to Germany's response to international outcry over the Lusitania sinking (May 1915) and Edith Cavell's execution - **"The Retort Courteous"** shows American indignation - **"Booze or Bust"** jokes about wealthy Americans escaping to the Bahamas during Prohibition The top cartoon depicts a woman on shore signaling a passing airplane—apparently commentary on rapidly changing wartime conditions ("Things are very different now"). The overall message: Germany commits brutal acts but feigns outrage when facing consequences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ANYOR cen ie wow! so 2 gq MER GERMANY | QJ / —— { {Ome DEF Cay THRILLED ae \ oe me WITH DELIGHT a GERMANS” LUSITANIA SUNK EDITH CAVELU THE WEER OF MOURNING. REPORTS FROM BELGRADE SAY THAT CLOTHING tS VERY SCARCE AIR BOOZE EXPRESS TO BE INAUGURATED BETWEEN PALM BEACH AND THE BAHAMAS,