Judge, 1928-09-15 · page 35 of 36
Judge — September 15, 1928 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire. The Ethyl Gasoline Corporation lists dozens of major oil companies selling their product with tetraethyl lead additive, which reduces engine "knock" (pre-ignition). The illustration shows a stylized gas pump attendant. The page's rhetorical strategy—"ETHYL is in good company"—attempts to reassure consumers through sheer volume of corporate endorsement. By listing prestigious oil majors (Standard Oil divisions, Gulf, Texaco, etc.), the ad implies universal industry approval validates the product's superiority. **Historical context**: This likely dates to the 1920s-1930s, when leaded gasoline was promoted as modern and efficient. The health dangers of lead were not yet widely publicized to consumers, though they were known to scientists. The "good company" framing is marketing psychology rather than satire—using peer pressure and corporate authority to drive adoption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
These are the oil companies which mix and sell American Oil Company American Ethy Pratt's Ethyl Petrol Ashland Refining Compan} Red Pepper Better Eiby, Associated Oil Company Associated Ethyl Atlantic Refining Company Atlantic Ethyl Beacon Oil Company Colonial Ethyl Continental Oil Company Conoco Ethyl Crystal Oil Refining Corp. Crystal Ethyl Empire Oil Works Empire Ethyl Humble Oil & Refining Co. Humble Ethyl Imperial Oil, Limited Imperial Ethyl Johnson Oil Refining Co. Jobnson Ethyl Kendall Refining Company Kendall Ethyl Liberty Oil Company, Ltd Liberty Pep Liby! Loreco Ethyl Mexican Petroleum Corp. Pan-Am Ethyl A.D. Miller Sons’ Company Miller's Ethyl Pan-Am Ethyl Anglo-American Oil Co., Ltd. Louisiana Oil Refining Corp. Pan American Petroleum Co. ETHYL GASOLINE —the motor fuel that knocks out that “knock” and gives high compression performance Pennsylvania Refining Co. Penreco Etbyl Pennzoil Compan: Pennzoil Ethy Refiners Oil Company Refiners Ethy. Root Refineries, Inc. Red Chief Ethyl Solar Refining Company Solar Ethyl Spears & Riddle Company Fleet Wing Ethyl Standard Oil Co. (Indiana) Red Crown Ethyl Standard Oil Co. (Kentucky) Crown Ethyl Standard Oil Co. of Louisiana Standard Ethyl Standard Oil Co. (Nebraska) Red Crown Ethyt Standard Oil Co, (New Jersey) Standard Ethyl Standard Oil Co. (Ohio) Red Crown Ethyl Sterling Oil Company Sterling Ethy Texas Pacific Coal & Oil Co. T.-P. Ethyl Tide Water Oil Company Tydol Ethyl Union Oil Co. of California Union Ethyl Walburn Petroleum Co., Inc. Walburn Ethyl Waverly Oil Works Company Waverly Ethyl In addition there are hundrees of resellers ETHYL is in good company Way are these companies mixing ETHYL with their already good gasolines? To enable you as a car owner to get maximum efficiency from what- ever car you may be driving. ETHYL GASOLINE CORPORATION 25 Broadway, New York City $6 Church Street, Toronto, Ont., Cin.