Life — April 15, 1926 — page 21: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes violations of Prohibition—the ban on alcohol sales (1920-1933). The figure on the left appears to be a stern authority figure (likely a lawman or government official) confronting a woman labeled "Dame Nature" who is caught red-handed with contraband: a large globe labeled "Old Wine" and what appears to be a barrel of spirits. The humor lies in the paradox: authorities cannot actually arrest or punish nature itself for producing wine and alcohol naturally. The term "scofflaws" (those who mock the law) applies to people exploiting this loophole—essentially blaming nature rather than human bootleggers. The cartoon mocks both the futility of Prohibition enforcement and those who circumvent it through such absurd logic.