Judge, 1918-06-01 · page 3 of 36
Judge — June 1, 1918 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon depicts Captain Henry of the *Duty Mermaid* from Dorset, Vermont, driving a 40-horsepower automobile with elliptical wheels. The satire plays on the tension between old and new transportation: a sea captain—traditionally associated with ocean voyages—is now operating a land-based motorcar. The pack of dogs chasing the vehicle reinforces the comedy: despite the car's supposed smooth, ship-like motion from its special wheels, it still provokes the traditional response reserved for any vehicle on rural roads. The joke targets early automobile culture and the absurdity of applying nautical concepts (smooth sailing motion) to landlocked contraptions, while highlighting rural Vermont's unfamiliarity with modern vehicles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Drazen by Orson Lowett Tue Lanp-Lockep Mariner AGAIN Cap’n Henry, of the Dusty Mermaid, Dorset, Vermont, finds that his new 40-whale power gig, by means of its elliptical shaped wheels, gives him much of the motion of the sea, but he barely misses a reef as he prepares to dock at the Post Office.