The American Issue, March 22, 1912

The American Issue, March 22, 1912

This is another example of how prohibition media portrayed alcohol as a source of familial fear showing an abusive, spendthrift father returning from the saloon. Every family member reacts with distress except the youngest baby, whose innocence shields him from understanding the turmoil.

The message is clear that alcohol doesn’t just harm the drinker; it terrorizes entire households, and only the oblivious spared can be from the pain.

A man enters his home. His wife and their children are under a giant bottle of spirits named the "Spirits of Despair." It casts a shadow onto the man's family.

Underneath the image it has the text of, "The Home of the Saloon's Best Customer."

The American Issue (Westerville, Ohio)

Library of Congress

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

March 22, 1912

Under Public Domain.

PDF.

English.

Newspaper Image with Text.

Library of Congress Control Number: sn2008060406

Newspaper Cartoon.

8.93 × 12.83in