Life — June 12, 1919 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Haunted Wood" — Life Magazine, June 12, 1919 This cartoon depicts two children discovering a sign for an "Outdoor Dancing School" in a dark, spooky forest. The wood itself appears haunted, with ghostly figures visible in the trees above—appearing to be classical or angelic figures. The satire likely mocks the era's enthusiasm for "outdoor dancing" as a fashionable activity, contrasting this modern leisure trend against older, more traditional or spiritual imagery. The "haunted" setting suggests nostalgia or unease about abandoning traditional customs for new fads. The children's innocent discovery of the sign amid supernatural imagery underscores the cartoon's critique: modern entertainment (represented by the dancing school) displacing or haunting traditional values. The artwork is signed "V.B. Fuller."