Life, 1905-06-15 · page 9 of 32
Life — June 15, 1905 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two related satirical pieces about early automobiles and gender roles. The upper cartoon depicts a social gathering where a husband asks his wife if she needs a new hat, to which she responds that she always needs one—then sarcastically asks what use getting a new hat is if she can't go out in an automobile. The lower section, "He Had a Good Reason," shows a conversation between a man and woman about automobile etiquette. The joke centers on the woman's complaint that the man doesn't know basic driving safety (handling a puncture tire), revealing anxieties about women's independence and competence with new automotive technology—a marker of early 20th-century social disruption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Husband: DO YOU REALLY NEED A NEW Har? Wifes He Had a Good Reason. Come out me and take How long ence with them?" ny to run it "Can you mend a punctured tire?” L ALWAYS NEED A NEW IAT, “THEN WHAT'S THE USE OF GETTING THIS ONE?” 8” ouldn’t know the first thing to Not the first ir—I tell you I don’t know t thing.” s far as the thing w ght, I'll go with yc “What! Why, I didn’t dream you'd accept my invitation.” . “Why not?” “Why, I didn’t suppose you'd care to go out in an with a man rh anything about ** Nonsense “How's tha “Simply t we break down, w d get home by trolley, But if you thought you knew st thi 4) spend the rest of the day g to fix it up, while I'd have to stay with you and suffer as a matter of courtesy.”” "re just the man.” se, old chap, that if comicbooks.com