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

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Satire Page Analysis This page satirizes the 1912 U.S. presidential election, proposing Henry Ford for president and W.J. Bryan for vice-president as a joke ticket. The accompanying cartoons mock political absurdities of the era. The top cartoon shows two men in a rowboat, captioned "Suitor (Forbidden the house): ARE WE APT TO RUN ACROSS YOUR FATHER AROUND HERE?" — a comedic reference to the ambassadors and cabinet positions listed, suggesting political appointments involve dodging scrutiny. The bottom cartoon depicts life insurance rejection, where an agent tells a woman: "I'LL NOT PAY ANOTHER CENT. I'VE PAID REGULAR PER EIGHT YEARS, AN' I'VE HAD NO LUCK YET." This lampoons insurance company practices of denying claims on technicalities. The "Platform of the New Bolshevist Party" stating "WE HAVEN'T ANY" mocks both anarchist politics and the vagueness of contemporary political platforms.