Life — September 23, 1920 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes war profiteering during what appears to be World War I era. An elderly businessman with a long beard—likely representing a military contractor or war profiteer—stands prominently displaying a roasted pig or similar meat on a platter. The abundant stacked plates beside him suggest enormous wealth and excess consumption. The title's bitter irony is key: the "high cost" refers not to the profiteer's expense, but to the human cost paid by soldiers. The well-fed businessman contrasts sharply with the implication that soldiers suffered shortages while contractors grew wealthy from war contracts. The cartoon critiques how some capitalists exploited wartime scarcity and government contracts for personal gain while the nation's fighting men sacrificed.