Life — March 19, 1914 — page 23: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a satirical cartoon from *Life* magazine depicting a street scene where well-dressed adults and children examine a new electric street lamp—a symbol of modern urban progress. The "new tooth" likely refers to the lamp's protruding bulb resembling a tooth. The satire seems to mock how city dwellers treat technological innovations with wonder and curiosity, gathering around the streetlamp as if it were a novelty rather than practical infrastructure. A small dog is also drawn to investigate. The cartoon captures early-20th-century attitudes toward electrification and modern urban development—treating technological advancement as a spectacle worthy of public fascination and scrutiny rather than an ordinary utility.