Is This 1920s Cartoon the World’s First Meme?

It’s hard to imagine a time before memes — and maybe we don’t have to. Because the Internet’s latest obsession isn’t a sad cat or a newly woke TV character, it’s a 97-year-old vintage cartoon.

Discovered by user @YoRHaw, the comic compares how you *think* you look in a flash photograph with how you *actually* look. Essentially, it’s the first draft of the ever-popular “How You Think You Look vs. How You Really Look” meme. (It also bears close resemblance to the “Expectation vs. Reality” meme, and even the one Mariah Carey recently referenced: the “If You Can’t Handle Me At My Worst, You Don’t Deserve Me At My Best” meme.)

Now, you might be questioning the legitimacy of this LOL-inducing illustration—especially given the difference in darkness of the black ink. Rest assured! The Internet has fact checkers! Someone found an archived page of the original image from Judge magazine’s 1921 July issue, Mashable noted.

The world may change, but humanity has always had a relatable sense of humour. Keep scrolling for some of our favourite reactions to the heritage meme.

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