Life — August 21, 1919 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon criticizing prohibition and related social issues. The left figure in top hat labeled "PROHIBITION" operates machinery, while a large balloon labeled "LEAGUE OF NOTIONS" looms on the right. Various caricatured figures below represent different groups or interests affected by prohibition policy. Visible labels include "W.W." (unclear reference), "SECRET SERVICE," and what appears to be references to smuggling, corruption, and organized crime elements—all consequences of prohibition enforcement during the 1920s-early 1930s. The cartoon satirizes how prohibition generated unintended consequences: criminal enterprises, government hypocrisy, and social chaos. The "League of Notions" balloon likely mocks idealistic but impractical reformist thinking. The exaggerated, grotesque caricatures are typical of period satirical cartooning style.