Judge — January 30, 1909 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon depicting a cemetery of defunct automobile components and failed car features. Each grave marker represents a different automotive problem or failed innovation that buyers encountered: - "Tire Busted" - "Brake Band Broke" - "Defective Spark Plug" - "Cigar Lighter Broke" - "Acetylene Gas Did Him" - "Gasoline Tank Exploded" - "Tried to Beat the Cars" (still coasting) - "Just Learning" - "Skidded That's All" The satire mocks the early automobile industry's notorious unreliability and mechanical failures. Rather than celebrating cars as modern marvels, Judge presents them as death traps plagued by exploding tanks, brake failures, and other serious defects. The caption "If You Buy an Automobile" suggests this graveyard awaits purchasers—a dark joke about the risks of early car ownership around the 1910s-1920s era.