Life — December 23, 1920 — page 33: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon criticizing wartime profiteering. Santa Claus (representing traditional American values and generosity) confronts a man in a top hat and overcoat (depicted as a profiteer or war contractor). Santa offers "six cents a pound on th' hoof" for hogs—an extremely low price—while sarcastically suggesting the profiteer wouldn't accept it "as a blanketty-blank profiteer." The cartoon attacks those exploiting food shortages during wartime (likely WWI era, given *Life* magazine's publication period) by charging excessive prices. Santa's presence emphasizes the moral outrage: even Santa won't tolerate such greed during the Christmas season. The satire suggests these profiteers are un-American and lacking in holiday spirit or patriotic sacrifice.