Life, 1916-09-07 · page 7 of 40
Life — September 7, 1916 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early-1900s predictions about life in the year 2000 (the coming "millennium"). The top illustration shows absurd inventions like mechanical animals and self-propelled devices, labeled "JOIE DE VIVRE" (joy of living). The text humorously lists ridiculous "necessities" for the future millennium—perpetual trouser creases, silent ash-cans, squeakless shoes, noiseless sparrows, and strikeless railroads. It's mock-serious in tone, satirizing optimistic technological predictions by imagining trivial, often impossible "improvements." The bottom illustration, "The Motorists' Idea of the Millennium," depicts two wealthy figures lounging comfortably in a motorcar while driving—suggesting that future technology would enable ultimate leisure and laziness. The satire mocks both utopian futurism and the emerging automobile culture's promise of effortless living.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JOIE DE VIVRE Incidentals Which No Millennium Should Be Without EERPETUAL trouser-creases Silent ash-cans. A hair-restorer which restores hair. Squeakless shoes. Unspoilable hen's eggs. Silk hats which can’t be roughed up. Dustless roads. Steam-heated apartments which aren't deserted by the heat whenever com- pany arrives Moth-proof clothes-closets. Infallible weather bureaus. Noiseless coal-chutes. Comfortable dress shirts. Non-skid garters. Strikeless railroads, Straw hats which won't blow off. Voiceless English sparrows THE MOTORISTS’ IDEA OF THE MILLENNIUM comicbooks.com