Life — January 9, 1913 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cover satirizes the emerging automobile industry's claim of "self-propelled" innovation. The cartoon depicts a man in a car holding a large mechanical apparatus labeled "The Self Propelled Vehicle Number having to do with motor cars & such," while a child stands nearby saying "ONE MOMENT PLEASE . . . WE HAVE YOUR NUMBER"—meaning the scheme or trick is exposed. The joke mocks manufacturers' grandiose marketing language for what are essentially standard motor cars. By literalizing "self-propelled" as an absurdly complicated mechanical contraption, Life ridicules the industry's pretentious terminology and advertising excess. The child represents common sense seeing through corporate hype—a recurring satirical device.