Judge — January 18, 1913 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Chauffeur's Troubles" This 1913 *Judge* cartoon satirizes the emerging automotive age's hazards for car drivers. The illustration depicts a woman operating an early motorcar (marked with license plate 428993) while various disasters unfold around her: a runaway horse bolts beneath the vehicle, a pedestrian flies through the air, and a turkey or large bird escapes overhead. The satire targets early female drivers—a novelty in 1913—suggesting they create chaos on roads. The "chauffeur's troubles" refers to the driver's mounting problems managing both the unpredictable automobile and the panicked animals and people it disturbs. The cartoon reflects contemporary anxiety about automobiles disrupting traditional traffic patterns and the social concern about women operating vehicles, portraying female drivers as sources of public danger rather than competent operators.