Life — July 23, 1903 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is **not a cartoon or satire** — it is a straightforward **automobile advertisement** for Columbia brand vehicles, published in *Life* magazine. The page showcases five different Columbia models: two electric broughams, one gasoline touring car, one electric hansom, and one electric victoria-phaeton. Each includes specifications, features, and prices (ranging from $3,000 to $5,000). The central text emphasizes that Columbia automobiles offer "efficiency, durability, perfection of details, and elegance of finish," comparing electric and gasoline options. The company's headquarters was in Hartford, Connecticut, with salesrooms in New York, Boston, and Chicago. This represents early 1900s automotive marketing, when electric vehicles competed seriously with gasoline cars before eventually losing market dominance.