T hese are sad times for the whole world, grown unexpectedly sadder by the sudden and sweeping epidemic of Influenza,” wrote women’s suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt in October 1918 as she lay ill with the Spanish Flu. “This new affliction is bringing sorrow into many suffrage homes and is presenting a serious new obstacle in our referendum campaigns and in the Congressional and Senatorial campaigns.”

Today, scientists are working to create a vaccine for the coronarvirus. But during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak, little was known about viruses, and the invention of electron microscopes to visualize viruses didn’t come into use until the 1930s. Like now, mask wearing, frequent hand washing, and social distancing were the best prevention. But many people did not comply, in spite of warnings by medical professionals, instructions on how to make a mask, and posted signs with cautions that read: This disease is highly communicable. There is no medicine which will prevent it. Keep away from public meetings, theaters and other places where crowds are assembled. Keep the mouth and nose covered while coughing or sneezing. Many municipalities mandated the wearing of masks. One newspaper headline in Chicago read “Open-Face Sneezers to be Arrested.”

With the ever-growing populations in large urban areas like New York City, policemen helped set an example for the public by wearing masks. Samuel (Jesse) Battle, the first black NYC policeman, was hired in 1911, setting the stage for improved race relations during the challenging 1918-1920 Spanish Flu pandemic which claimed the lives of approximately 50 million people worldwide and 675,000 in the United States.

Life magazine, depicted in this artwork, was published from 1883 to 2000, and focused on social commentary, jokes, light entertainment, and illustrations during the pandemic years.