Life — August 3, 1916 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *Life* magazine presents a visual puzzle contest rather than political satire. The caption states: "A FEW OF THIS YEAR'S AUTOMOBILE MODELS" and announces that readers who send correct answers to the pictured automobiles will win "FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS FINE, A YEAR'S IMPRISONMENT, OR BOTH." The twelve cartoon panels use exaggerated, absurdist imagery—characters drowning, colliding, exploding, and suffering various disasters—rather than depicting actual cars. The joke satirizes automobile safety and the chaos of early 1900s motoring. By framing dangerous situations as "automobile models," *Life* mocks both vehicle design and reckless drivers. The promised legal penalties humorously suggest cars themselves are criminal contraptions. This reflects contemporary anxiety about automobiles as dangerous new technology.