Life, 1896-07-30 · page 17 of 18
Life — July 30, 1896 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines two narrative cartoons with period advertisements. The main cartoons depict an African American man (labeled "Melindy") attempting to use a new motorized vehicle or mechanical device—likely an early automobile or motorcycle. In the first panel, he calls to someone to help him "catch onto this new-fangled thing." The second panel shows him crashed or tangled with the machine at a "STOP HERE" sign, captioned "HE CAUGHT ON." The humor relies on a racist stereotype: portraying Black Americans as unfamiliar with modern technology and clumsy in adapting to it. The pun "caught on" (understood/learned vs. physically caught/entangled) reinforces the joke at his expense. The surrounding ads—for electric irons, bicycles, cologne, and malt extract—represent typical early 1900s consumer goods. The page reflects Life's satirical approach, though one deeply rooted in the racial attitudes of its era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ELECTRIC FLAT IRONS. ALL Sizes. Avy CIRCUIT. FULLY GUARANTEED. WARD LEONARD ELECTRIC CO., Hoboken, N. J. 5 | J some, Teeth ” MESINGER HULBERT BROS.&CO- we se 7 26 WEST 23° ef NEW YORK.~ HOW TO MAKE ADIPO-MALENE. L E MARSH & CO, Madison Sq, Philadebhia, Pa. “ MELINDY, COME OUT HERE, I'M TRYING TO CATCH ONTO THIS NEW-FANGLED THING,” HE CAUGHT ON, after the surgeoa—the knife— If [THE ART OF BREWING DEVELOPED BY THE GERM: comicbooks.com