Judge — November 28, 1908 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic traces human progress through transportation, culminating in the automobile. The sequence shows man evolving from stone-age burden-bearer, through horseback riding, to operating increasingly complex mechanical vehicles—ultimately crowding into a motorcar. The humor satirizes the era's obsession with speed and "progress." Early captions mock man's satisfaction with each innovation ("he thought he was 'going some'"). The final panels show the automobile age creating chaos: cyclists colliding, pedestrians endangered, and people packed together despite warnings like "Road Crossing Have a Care." The satire suggests that technological advancement, while celebrated as civilization's triumph, has created new dangers and cramped conditions. It's a commentary on early-1900s automobile culture's chaotic social impact.