Judge — January 5, 1924 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Roadside Repairs" This cartoon satirizes the contrast between wealthy motorists and working-class road conditions. The central figure—a fashionably dressed woman in fur coat and heels—sits primly on luggage beside her broken-down automobile, apparently unconcerned about the mechanical failure. In the background, numerous working-class men perform actual repairs on the vehicle and road infrastructure. The satire likely critiques early 20th-century automobile culture: wealthy car owners enjoyed the prestige of motoring while remaining divorced from the labor, mess, and practical realities of vehicle maintenance. The "detour" sign emphasizes how automobiles disrupted existing infrastructure, requiring constant repairs—a burden borne by workers rather than the leisure-class drivers who benefited.