Life — July 25, 1918 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis **Top Cartoon:** This depicts a street scene where someone is selling a second-hand automobile. The buyer asks if they have "a second-hand car, as good as new, for about one-quarter what a new car would cost?" The seller responds "Yes'm, we've got just the one you want. It's being towed in now." The satire mocks the used-car sales industry—specifically the deceptive practice of selling damaged vehicles as bargains. The joke hinges on the car needing to be towed in, meaning it's non-functional, yet the salesman still pitches it as a desirable deal. This reflects early 20th-century consumer skepticism about automobile dealers' honesty. **Bottom Section:** "Cheerful Reading" discusses household budgeting and grocery costs, with a separate illustration titled "The Recruiting Sergeant" showing a soldier recruiting figure—likely satirizing military recruitment tactics, though the specific context is unclear from this excerpt.