Judge — December 11, 1915 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a satirical street scene depicting "The First Jitney Between Yahoo Center and Yapp's Crossing"—a humorous reference to the jitney craze of the early 1910s, when small buses competed with established transportation systems. The cartoon mocks the chaos and mayhem jitney services introduced to American towns. The crowded street shows children playing, pedestrians, hand-drawn carts, bicycles, and the large jitney bus all competing for space in dangerous, disorderly conditions. Store signs (including "Wm. Beers Stationery" and "Civic League") suggest a typical small American town. The satire targets both the jitney fad's rapid proliferation and the social disruption it caused—the breakdown of orderly street life. The "Yahoo Center" reference appears deliberately absurd, emphasizing the provincial quality of places adopting this new transit.