Life, 1927-05-05 · page 15 of 46
Life — May 5, 1927 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early automobile culture and reckless driving through humorous sketches. The top-left shows a man being violently thrown from a car with text about detours to Boston, Lynn, and Salem—suggesting endless driving mishaps. The center depicts a chaotic traffic scene with multiple vehicles and pedestrians in disarray, accompanied by text about a song celebrating reckless motorists. The bottom-left shows a man and woman in a steering-wheel equipped vehicle, with text describing Jack Spratt's wife driving dangerously with "two steering wheels" hidden in cushions. The right side features a woman in a dress holding a staff or shepherd's crook, apparently representing "Motor Goose"—a feminine personification of automobile culture—with text about lost companions and tail-lights. The satire critiques both dangerous driving and the social chaos automobiles were creating.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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