Life — July 10, 1919 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the Republican Party (G.O.P.) during what appears to be the post-WWI era. On the left, a figure carrying bags labeled "Paris" and "Third Party Candy" peers through a window at a domestic scene. Inside, a woman embraces a rotund man wearing a G.O.P. shirt. The title references "Enoch Arden," a poem about a man who returns home after years away to find his wife remarried. Here, the cartoon suggests the Republican Party has abandoned its previous partner (likely the American electorate or progressive faction) and formed a new alliance—possibly with conservative or business interests. The "third party candy" and Paris references suggest criticisms of Republican foreign policy or financial dealings. The domestic contentment inside contrasts with the outsider's exclusion.