Judge — December 27, 1919 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Granny Leghorn Rides Her New Motor-Cycle Through Yapps Crossing" This is a humorous illustration by Johnny Gruelle depicting an elderly woman ("Granny Leghorn") riding a motorcycle through a crowded street named "Yapps Crossing." The cartoon satirizes early-20th-century urban chaos and the novelty of motorcycles. The scene shows pedestrians, various storefronts (drug store, groceries, book store), and numerous children in disarray as the motorcycle passes through. The joke appears to target both the recklessness of early motorists and the general disorder of busy commercial streets. The exaggerated pandemonium—with figures tumbling and fleeing—mocks how motorcycles and automobiles were disruptive to established pedestrian-centered street life. The unlikely figure of an elderly woman as the motorcycle operator adds comedic absurdity to the satire.