Life, 1909-12-30 · page 21 of 29
Life — December 30, 1909 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not satirical content. It promotes the Rambler automobile, manufactured by Thomas B. Jeffery & Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The illustration shows a well-dressed man in a Rambler Fifty-five Limousine passing an elegant suburban mansion, emphasizing the car's association with wealth and sophistication. The ad copy emphasizes luxury features—mahogany interiors, electric lighting, speaking tubes, cigar cases—targeting affluent buyers. Prices ($3,750 and $3,350) indicate this was a premium vehicle for the era. The "Life" magazine masthead and decorative circular border frame suggest this is from the early automotive era (likely 1910s), when automobiles represented status symbols. There is no political satire present; this is straightforward luxury marketing designed to appeal to the affluent readership of Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE new Rambler has acquired distinction as a car of character and quality. In the Fifty-five Lim- ousine the quiet ease of motion, reserve power and dignity of comfort, characteristic of all models, have been accentuated by an equipment unsurpassed in quality and finish by that of any closed car. Two Limousine models, chasses alike. Rambler Fifty-five, forty-five horsepower, 36 x 5-inch tires, seven-passenger capacity, five passengers inside; finished in Bedford cord, electrically lighted, mahogany ceiling and sides, speaking tube, mirror, clock, cigar case and broom holder, $3,750. Five-passenger closed car, same equipment, $3,350 Thomas B. Jeffery & Company Main Office and Factory, Kenosha, Wis. Branches: Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, Cleveland, San Francisco. Representatives in all leading’ cities, comicbooks.com