Life — August 2, 1923 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Dancers We Meet" Cartoon Analysis This cartoon satirizes Prohibition-era speakeasies and bootlegging. The illustration shows Mrs. Hippo asking about "toothbrushes" — a euphemism for illegal liquor. The small figure (likely a bootlegger or speakeasy operator) displays bottles in what appears to be a trash can, suggesting hidden or illicit alcohol sales disguised as legitimate goods. The caption's wordplay on "toothbrushes" reflects how Prohibition-era Americans used coded language to discuss contraband alcohol. The hippo characters represent ordinary citizens patronizing illegal establishments. The page's text references Rockefeller Institute germ research and Prohibition's liquor import limits, contextualizing the cartoon within contemporary debates about alcohol policy and law enforcement during the 1920s Prohibition era.