Life — June 17, 1920 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Angelus" - Political Cartoon Analysis This cartoon by Jenster satirizes labor recruitment during industrial expansion, likely from the early 20th century. A skeletal Death figure (personified as "The Angelus," referencing Millet's famous painting) stands amid an industrial landscape with factory smokestacks, holding a bag of money. The sign reads "MEN WANTED! $6.00 PER DAY AND UP"—seemingly attractive wages. However, the skeleton imagery suggests these jobs carry grave danger: workers are depicted as small, vulnerable figures being lured toward industrial work. The satire critiques how factories recruited laborers with promises of decent pay while concealing the deadly working conditions, poor safety standards, and high mortality rates that characterized early industrial employment. Death literally profits from worker recruitment.