Life, 1907-12-19 · page 27 of 28
Life — December 19, 1907 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not satire or political commentary**—it's a straightforward automobile advertisement. The image depicts a wealthy couple at what appears to be a country club or sporting event, arriving in an Oldsmobile Model Z. Spectators and attendants surround them, suggesting the car's status as a luxury vehicle. The ad uses sports metaphors ("Playing the Game") to associate the automobile with reliability and performance. It claims Oldsmobile dominated 1907 racing and reliability contests, positioning the six-cylinder Model Z as both aristocratic and practical—able to follow a milk wagon or outpace an express vehicle. The text targets affluent buyers who demand engineering quality. This represents early automotive advertising's focus on demonstrating mechanical superiority and social prestige through competitive success rather than lifestyle imagery alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PLAYING THE GAME HERE absolute reliability is demanded at the most trying instant—where power must be constant and unvarying, yet sensitive to the slightest control—where the value of being honestly trained or built counts most—there the OLDSMOBILE wins. The season of 1907 was a banner year of Oldsmobile winnings---in every speed, hill-climb or reliability contest in which it entered it came away with flying colors. The big Model Z, ‘Six-cylinder, is the pride of the 1908 product! An aristocratic, dignified car, snappy with up-to-the-minute style and character. Driven by its wonderfully simple and flexible six-cylinder motor, it will canter along behind a milk wagon or fly ahead of an express. Three other models for 1908---our catalogue is written for the buyer who demands that he know the car in which he invests. We would be pleased to mail you a copy. Address Dept. L. OLDS MOTOR WORKS, LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A. Member Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers Canadian Trade Supplied from Canadian Factory. Address FREDERICK SAGER, 80 King Street East, Toronto, Ont. comicbooks.com