Life, 1910-04-07 · page 2 of 76
Life — April 7, 1910 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes the Klaxon, an automobile safety horn device from the early automotive era. The illustration shows two well-dressed people in a car with a horse-drawn carriage ahead, depicting a collision-avoidance scenario. The Klaxon's selling point was its loud, distinctive warning sound—audible a quarter to half-mile away—designed to alert other drivers and pedestrians. The text emphasizes the horn's effectiveness as "the most effective safeguard against collision ever devised," noting its harsh, startling quality made it recognizable and attention-grabbing. This reflects early 1900s concerns about road safety as automobiles proliferated alongside horse-drawn traffic, creating genuine collision hazards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Published every Thursday. Annual Subscription, Five Dollars. Single Copies. Ten Cents Copyright in England and the British Possessions, ever devised: The penetrating KLAXON blast is audible to another driver a quarter to half/a mile ahead, and on water from one to two miles. It resembles no other created sound. It is purposely harsh and startling, for a harsh note has a natural warning quality lacking in musical notes. The driver who hears a KLAXON does not stop to think : he turns s side of the road involuntarily and promptly. The KLAXON consists of an alloy steel diaphragm vibrated by a ratchet wheel and electric The ignition battery runs it. Handsome illustrated catalog sent on request. For small cars—the KLAXONET, a miniature KLAXON superior to ottie , | SHE KLAXON z) st Veffective vafeguard against ccllision comicbooks.com