Life — January 5, 1905 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains a poem titled "The Rubaiyat of Little Old New York" illustrated with a cherub figure, plus a separate section titled "Modern" featuring a cartoon about automobile safety. The poem is a satirical take on New York City life, referencing theaters, the subway, and urban pleasures. It addresses contemporary concerns about automobiles congesting streets ("Grand Street") and disrupting traditional city life. The "Modern" cartoon section presents resolutions from a fictional "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Automobiles," satirizing both reckless drivers and overly protective car owners. It proposes humorous (and harsh) penalties: pedestrians hit by cars shouldn't damage the machinery, and those complaining about reckless driving face jail time. The satire mocks the era's emerging car culture and society's prioritization of automobiles over pedestrian safety.