Life — July 16, 1925 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Stowaway" — Life Magazine, July 16, 1925 This cartoon illustrates the common immigration anxiety of the 1920s. The drawing shows a dog crate labeled "STAR LINE" (a shipping company) being opened at what appears to be a port or customs area. Inside the crate is a collie dog—a valuable purebred—that has apparently smuggled itself aboard as a stowaway. The satire works on multiple levels: it mocks both smuggling (a serious concern during Prohibition) and the period's obsession with pedigree and "quality" bloodlines. The dog's aristocratic breed suggests wealthy passengers might attempt similar concealment. The "WITH CARE" marking and luggage labeled with travel stickers emphasize the absurdity of an animal traveling like a first-class passenger in hiding.