Life — October 28, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Congratulations" (Life, October 28, 1920) This illustration depicts two women shaking hands, titled "Congratulations." The woman on the left wears modern 1920s attire with a fitted jacket and skirt. The figure on the right, depicted as "Liberty" or "Justice" (indicated by her classical Greek-style drapery and headpiece), extends her hand in greeting. The cartoon likely celebrates women's suffrage, which was formally ratified via the 19th Amendment in August 1920—just weeks before this issue. The handshake symbolizes the greeting between an ordinary woman citizen and the personified ideal of American liberty/justice, congratulating women on finally achieving voting rights after decades of activist struggle.