The sands of time
Subject(s): China, International relations, Japan, Japanese, Korea, Mars (Roman deity), Military occupation, Sin
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Mars, the Roman god of war, waits for the establishment of protocols and the Japanese occupation of “Korea” to be completed before the sands in an hourglass shift from “Peace” to “War.” “China” sits quietly on the left. Caption: Mars–Just a little more, and I’ll give that Peace Congress a jolt!
Comments and Context
Largely forgotten by much of the world, under the dust of events like the Russo-Japanese War, Japanese aggression in the 1930s, and World War II’s “Pacific Theater,” is the subject of Pughe’s cartoon. Japan’s unrelenting ambitions to dominate Korea reached an important moment in 1904; a treaty between the two royal empires then on the agenda (in Korea’s hopes) at the Peace Conference then convened at the Hague. The treaty was prosaic in its language, Japan respecting, and by assurances, protecting Korea. Yet it was aggression without arms, blackmail, and the establishment of a de facto protectorate by Tokyo.
Subsequent diplomatic agreements in the decade tightened Japan’s grip, until in 1910 Korea became a virtual colony, a situation that only ended when Japan surrendered to end World War II. Korea was “liberated” (from Japan) but split in two by diplomats under influence of the United States and the Soviet Union, later Communist China.
The Korean royal family, diplomats, and few international supporters argued for help against the Japanese, between the time of this cartoon and 1945, but with little success. Koreans claimed that Imperial Japanese forces sought, beyond commercial advantages and exploitation of resources, to eliminate Korean culture. They are issues that live on between the two “friendly” nations yet today.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1904-02-03
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The sands of time. [February 3, 1904]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277693. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The sands of time. [3 Feb. 1904]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. May 7, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277693.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1904, February 3]. The sands of time.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277693.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. May 7, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
