Judge — April 26, 1924 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon illustrates the famous literary phrase (originally from Tennyson's poem "Locksley Hall") about springtime stirring romantic thoughts in young men. The sketch shows a young man admiring an automobile rather than a woman—a witty inversion of the traditional romantic sentiment. The joke plays on early 20th-century American car culture: the "fancy" that captures this young man's attention is automotive, not romantic. The modest house and bare tree suggest modest circumstances, making the car an aspirational object. The mechanic or owner tinkering with the vehicle emphasizes how cars have replaced traditional romance as the object of male desire and fascination in modern times. It's social satire about changing values and male priorities.