Judge — May 3, 1924 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a humorous cartoon satirizing the *Automobile Blue Book*, an early automotive industry directory listing car owners. The joke hinges on social vanity: an older woman (likely representing a traditional, upper-class perspective) assumes that purchasing a car automatically grants one entry into this prestigious registry—as though buying an automobile instantly elevates one's social status enough to be documented in an official publication. The satire mocks both the nouveau riche's aspirations and the commercial machinery that caters to them. The young person's response (implied by the aunt's question) suggests this is exactly what attracts buyers: the promise of social recognition and status symbol acquisition through car ownership during the automobile boom era.