Life, 1908-12-31 · page 20 of 21
Life — December 31, 1908 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward automobile advertisement from *Life* magazine (December 31, 1908). The page promotes the 1909 Oldsmobile, emphasizing luxury features appealing to early-20th-century car buyers: speed, comfort, safety, silent operation, and elegant design. The image shows four well-dressed passengers in an open touring car, representing the aspirational lifestyle the manufacturer marketed. The ad emphasizes reliability ("for ten years performance has always equalled promise") and positions the car as versatile—suitable for both cross-country travel and formal "boulevard parade" drives. Prices ($2,750 for four-cylinder; $4,200 for six-cylinder) targeted the wealthy. This reflects the era when automobiles were luxury goods and *Life* (then a humor/general-interest magazine) carried premium advertising alongside satirical content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Or leads centl This frier Or seve him so ciate ingu proo af he s. an’ whet ious As Soutl Hi hear ment by s “sni for want night ing allow he w mirit the s The soldi see, The Gooe Th anxie once on be “vi ruddé Te enjoy the exhilaration of speed, with physical comfort and mental assurance of safety, is one of the many privileges of Oldsmobile owners. Perfect spring suspension and shock-absorber equipment insure comfort. Strength-for-emergency construction insures safety. It is also the privilege of the Oldsmobile owner to drive a silent car, of easy control and beautiful design; a car just as ready for a cross-country run as for a boulevard parade. For ten years the Oldsmobile has been a known quantity—for ten years per- formance has always equalled promise—and the 1909 car is no exception. Four-cylinder touring car or roadster $2750. Six- cylinder cars $4200. Details will be sent to those who are interested in “the logical car at the logical price.” Member Association OLDS MOTOR WORKS Oldsmobile Co. of Licensed Automobile waiees Canada, 80 King Street, E. Manufacturers Lansing, Michigan Toronto, Ont. comicbooks.com