Life, 1910-04-28 · page 40 of 40
Life — April 28, 1910 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page is a 1910 Oldsmobile ad from *Life* magazine's April 28 issue. The image shows an early automobile with passengers inside an oversized steering wheel—a visual metaphor suggesting control and reliability. The ad's message targets affluent buyers by claiming Oldsmobile owners share "good judgment" and respect each other's purchasing decisions, having tested competing vehicles before choosing Oldsmobile. The text emphasizes that sustained year-after-year recognition (the company's "12th year") proves manufacturing quality—essentially arguing that loyal repeat customers validate the product better than any marketing claim could. The two models listed (Special and Limited) with technical specs (cylinder count, horsepower, tire size) appeal to technically-minded early motorists who understood such specifications mattered. The "Selden Patent" reference at bottom indicates Oldsmobile operated under industry patent licensing—a significant legal framework of the era. This represents straightforward automotive advertising from the pre-Model T era when automobiles were luxury goods.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
April 28, 1910 Every Oldsmobile owner respects the good judgment of every other Oldsmobile owner. Many are graduates’ in the school of motoring experience—and have gone through the same processes of experiment which led them to the purchase of an Oldsmobile. . . . No manu- facturer in the world can command this kind of recognition year after year, except in one way:—by producing, year after year, an exceptionally good motor car. The “ Special” The “ Limited” 4-cylinder, go H. P., 36-in. fires 6-cylinder, 60 H. P., 42-in. tires Touring, Close-coupled, Limousine and Roadster bodies OLDS MOTOR WORKS, LANSING, MICHIGAN LICENSED UNDER SELDEN PATENT comicbooks.com