Life, 1904-05-19 · page 28 of 28
Life — May 19, 1904 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an advertisement for the Winton Motor Carriage Company, not political satire. The page uses a patriotic "king" figure holding a banner to market the automobile as America's superior product—comparing it metaphorically to a "gold dollar" versus inferior "Mexican silver dollar," emphasizing quality and reliability. The imagery invokes American nationalism and economic superiority through the crowned figure and royal banner bearing "WINTON is KING." The ad promises consistent pricing ($2500), reliability features (guaranteed tires, mechanical correctness), and claims the highest manufacturing quality available. This reflects early 1900s advertising strategy: positioning American industrial products as inherently superior to foreign competition. For modern readers, the explicit Mexican comparison—treated as obviously inferior—reveals period attitudes about American exceptionalism and reflects the economic anxieties of industrial competition at that time.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
May 19, r904. GOLD DOLLAR has greater value than a Mexican silver dollar because it is of better quality. Among automobiles the (2I1N TON is the gold dollar. Tires are guaranteed, crank shaft indestruc- _ tible, transmission mechanically correct, ignition \ thoroughly reliable. Air governor renders con- . trol easy and positive. : \ The price is $2500 f. 0. b. Cleveland, \\ to-day, to-morrow and every day through- out the year. The quality is the highest that » automobile manufacturers have yet )) reached. It wears the crown of Bi excellence. Winton Literature Upon Request | The Winton Motor Carriage Co. x Member Association Licensed Automobile Manufacturers : Factory and General Offices CLEVELAND, OHIO, U. S. A. . » i A BEW YORE BOSTON PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO Bes) Wirton Agencies in all important places PRESS OF THE J. W. PRATT CO., NEW YORK, comicbooks.com