Fear of automation is long-standing

H.T. Webster was a noted and successful cartoonist in the first half the 20th century. I came across this self-sketch from The Best of H.T. Webster A Memorial Collection which came out after his death in 1952.

It struck me because it illustrates that the concern about the disappearance of work is not new. Today we are concerned that artificial intelligence might put everyone out of work. In 1923 it was electricity.

In case the resolutions in insufficient, Webster on the phone:

This Frank Casey?

Say, Frank, how 'bout a little salmon fishing up in Labrador? Fine! We'll start this afternoon. Tell Roy to come along.

Up above is the Idea Dynamo connected indirectly to the patent Cartoon Dynamo. In the lower left is the observation:

In The Year 2023 When All Our Work Is Done By Electricity.