Life, 1906-07-05 · page 40 of 40
Life — July 5, 1906 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not satire. It's a 1906 Oldsmobile marketing piece using patriotic imagery to sell cars. The illustration shows a woman "signing an order" for an Oldsmobile, playfully invoking the Declaration of Independence metaphor. The ad claims purchasing an Oldsmobile represents freedom from "motor troubles, weak and imperfect parts, or poor material." The text then lists performance achievements: 100-200 hour non-stop runs in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Detroit; a 75-mile hill climb from New York to Poughkeepsie with sealed throttle; brake and vibration tests won at an auto show; and a water-spill test demonstrating stability. For modern readers: this reflects early automotive marketing emphasizing **reliability and durability**—key consumer concerns when cars were still novel and mechanically unreliable. The "Declaration of Independence" hook attempts to associate the product with American ideals and independence, a common advertising strategy then and now.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
July 5, 1906 SIGNING AAN ORDER. FOR. AN OLDSMOBILE is signing a “Declaration of Independence” from motor troubles, weak and imperfect parts, or poor material. @ It means owning a car of tested motor power—power to run /00 to 200 hours, or more, without stopping, as demonstrated in the Chicago and Cincinnati 100-hour non-stop runs and the Detroit 200-hour non-stop run, the success of which won the Oldsmobile four-cylinder machine the name of the “non-stop car.” @ It means a car whose road and hill-climbing qualities were conclusively demonstrated by the 75-mile run from New York to Poughkeepsie over difficult hills and trying road conditions with the high speed lever sealed in. (See sworn state- ment of the Technical Committee of the New York Motor Club, under whose sanction the run was made.) @ It means a car whose reliability in emergency was conclusively demonstrated at the Open Air Show in New York, where it won the Brake Test easily against all competitors. At this Show it won the Vibration Tes, carrying a pail of water, brim- ming full, on the tonneau floor le 200 yards from a Standing Start, spilling but 34 of an inch on the way. @ It means a car endorsed without hesitation or mental reservation by the man at the wheel. @ Full information about any of the above, including sworn statement of committee, sent on request. Send ten two-cent stamps for a copy of “A Busy Man's Text Book on Automobiles.” Address Dept. L. note y ares et QLDS MOTOR WORKS | Srissiattéace: Automobile Manufacturers dian Factory, Packard Electric Co., LANSING, MICH., U. Lid., St. Catherines, Ont. comicbooks.com