Judge — April 19, 1930 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "What Make Is It, Mister?" This Judge cartoon depicts a wealthy gentleman examining a damaged automobile with two working-class men. The caption's awkward grammar ("What make is it, mister?") suggests the speakers are immigrants or working-class laborers unfamiliar with fine automobiles. The satire appears to target wealthy car owners and early automotive culture. The gentleman's fine clothing contrasts sharply with the workers' shabby dress. The wrecked vehicle—with its wheel prominent—suggests either the dangers of early automobiles or their unreliability. The joke likely mocks both the pretensions of automobile ownership among the wealthy and the incomprehension of ordinary people toward this new technology, playing on class divisions in early 20th-century America.