Life, 1910-01-06 · page 51 of 76
Life — January 6, 1910 — page 51: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a straightforward automobile advertisement, not satirical content. It promotes the Rambler car, manufactured by Thomas B. Jeffery & Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The illustration shows well-dressed passengers in an early 1900s motorcar outside an elegant columned building, emphasizing luxury and respectability. The ad's text targets "the particular motorist" seeking "dignified comfort" without excessive cost—positioning the Rambler as quality-focused rather than extravagant. It highlights technical features (offset crank-shaft, straight-line drive, expanding clutch) meant to appeal to knowledgeable buyers. Three models are listed with prices ranging from $1,800 to $2,500 with varying horsepower and passenger capacity. The multiple branch offices indicate the company's national reach. This represents early automotive advertising's emphasis on mechanical innovation and middle-to-upper-class appeal.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE new Rambler is for the partic- ular motorist who admires dignified comfort in every appointment without extravagance in cost. Its distinction as a car of quality is due to the selection, indifferent to cost, of the materials used, and the finished skill applied in the mak- ing. Coupled with this is an efficienc assured only by such features as the Of set crank-shaft, Straight-line drive, Spare Wheel, and the new expanding clutch. Rambler Fifty-five, seven-passenger, 45h. p., $2,500; Fifty-four, five-pas- senger, 45 h. p., $2,250; Fifty-three, 34 h. p., $1,800; magnetos included. Thomas B. Jeffery & Company Main Office and Factory, Kenosha, Wis. Branches: Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, Cleveland and San Fraacisco comicbooks:com