Judge — June 29, 1929 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon titled "Ancient Sources of Modern Inventions: The Steam Shovel." It humorously traces the steam shovel's supposed historical origins by depicting various animals and figures operating primitive digging and scooping devices across different eras—from what appears to be ancient times through medieval periods to the present day. The joke suggests that modern mechanical innovations didn't emerge from nowhere but evolved gradually from nature itself and human history. The cartoon shows elephants, hippos, and other creatures using their natural features (trunks, mouths) as "shovels," alongside human figures using increasingly sophisticated hand tools and contraptions. The small group of onlookers at bottom left presumably represents modern observers witnessing this "historical progression." The satire mocks technological hubris by implying that inventors merely copied what nature had already perfected.