Life — December 9, 1909 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Best Seller: As a Menace to Life and Property" This satirical cartoon page depicts various scenes of danger and chaos caused by automobiles—what appears to be early 20th-century motor cars. The caption's ironic title refers to automobiles as the "best seller," suggesting they were commercially popular consumer products. The six vignettes show cars causing accidents, near-misses, and hazards: a woman cooking struck by a vehicle, pedestrians fleeing, a car nearly hitting children, a woman blown by a car's wind, and vehicles crowded with passengers. The satire criticizes the automobile industry's rapid commercialization and sales success despite genuine public safety dangers—a contemporary concern as cars were newly common and regulation was minimal.