Life — December 5, 1901 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Prediction for 1905" This satirical cartoon predicts future uses of the automobile. The caption reads: "Of course there will always be found some use for the automobile." The illustration shows a fantastical scene where an automobile has been repurposed as a flower cart. A man waters flowers from the vehicle while children play on a rope swing suspended from a tree above. Flying machines appear in the sky. The satire mocks early automobiles by suggesting they're so impractical that their only viable future use would be as a novelty flower delivery cart—essentially useless as transportation. This reflects contemporary skepticism about whether automobiles would become practical vehicles. The absurdist humor contrasts the grand promises of automotive technology with this mundane, whimsical alternative purpose.