Life — August 8, 1918 — page 27: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a chaotic urban street scene overrun with horses—a visual pun on the old proverb "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." The crowded street includes pedestrians, streetcars, buildings, and what appears to be early 20th-century city life, but horses dominate the scene in absurd numbers. The satire likely comments on impractical wishful thinking or unrealistic urban planning. The specific context remains unclear without additional historical markers, but the cartoon humorously imagines the literal consequence of wishes materializing—creating complete urban pandemonium. It's a commentary on the gap between desires and practical reality, rendered through visual absurdist humor typical of Life magazine's style.