Life — October 7, 1920 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Life magazine cartoon depicts military flags billowing dramatically over a battlefield cemetery, with crosses marking graves below. The image appears to reference World War I and its devastating casualties. The title "There Is a League" likely alludes to the League of Nations, the international organization proposed after WWI to prevent future wars. The satire suggests bitter irony: despite hopes that such a league would bring peace, the massive loss of life shown here—symbolized by the rows of crosses—represents the failure of international diplomacy to prevent or limit warfare's horrors. The flags suggest competing national interests override collective security efforts, making the League's promise of peace hollow. This reflects contemporary American skepticism about international cooperation during the interwar period.