Life, 1909-01-07 · page 4 of 60
Life — January 7, 1909 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a political cartoon or satirical content—it's a straightforward **advertisement for the White Steamer automobile** from The White Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The page promotes the Model "M" as "the Most Luxurious Car on the Market," priced at $4,000. The ad emphasizes technical features: a steam engine (hence "Steamer"), 122-inch wheelbase, superior tire equipment, and smooth power delivery without vibration or "malodorous vapors." The claims about reliability and use by prominent industrialists and political figures reflect early 1900s marketing conventions. The Model "O" at $2,000 targets the moderate-price market. This is pure product advertising with no satirical intent—Life magazine's pages included commercial ads alongside editorial content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE MODEL **M’”? WHITE STEAMER is the Most Luxurious Car on the Market The luxury of the White Steamer is unequalled by any other machine. There is no car, however expensive, which has better upholstery, better springs or better finish. Owing to the compactness of the mechanism, the body is much more commodious than in any car of similar wheel-base (122 inches), Few other makes have such a liberal tire equipment (36x4 on the front wheels and 36x5 on the rear wheels), The luxury of any car, however, depends largely upon its riding qualities, and here the White is “in a class by itself.” It is the only car where starting and changes of speed can be effected without jerks or jolts. It is the only car which runs noiselessly under all conditions. It is the only car which is free from vibration, because it is the only car where the power is applied evenly and continuously, and not spasmodically. It is the only car which does not, at times, emit malodorous vapors, Because of its luxury and of its unequalled reliability the White has long been the favorite car with discriminating purchasers on both sides of the Atlantic. For example, the White has been used exclusively for several years by the gentleman who is most prominent in the industrial affairs of this country and by the gentleman who has been most prominent in the political affairs of this country. Just as our Model “ M,” priced at $4,000, is the most desirable of the higher priced cars, so our Model “ O,” at $2,000, predominates among moderate priced machines. Write for descriptive matter. THE WHITE COMPANY CLEVELAND, OHIO NEW YORK CITY, Broadway and 62d Street CLEVELAND, 407 Rockwell Avenue BOSTON, 320 Newbury Street CHICAGO, 240 Michigan Avenue PHILADELPHIA, 629-35 North Broad Street SAN ERAN CISCO: Mae Oren Wess Avencs PITTSBURG, 1538-148 Beatty Street ATLANTA, 120-122 Marictta Street comicbooks.com