Life, 1910-11-17 · page 34 of 44
Life — November 17, 1910 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **satirical advertisement disguised as a contest announcement**. Life magazine is mocking the automobile industry's aggressive advertising practices by announcing a fake "race" where the prize goes to whichever car manufacturer places the most ads in Life magazine between October 1910 and April 1911. The humor operates on multiple levels: 1. **The ironic premise**: Life claims to showcase a "safe" auto race with "no danger" and "no bursting tires"—yet the actual "competition" is entirely about advertising volume, not speed or performance. 2. **Social commentary**: Early auto racing was genuinely dangerous and often fatal. By reducing competition to an ad-buying contest, Life satirizes how manufacturers were more interested in marketing dominance than genuine innovation or safety. 3. **Self-aware promotion**: Life is simultaneously mocking advertising while soliciting it, listing actual manufacturers' line counts to encourage increased spending. The gold cup prize is the ultimate joke—a monument to commercial excess rather than automotive achievement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Not the slightest danger, old man. This is a real LIFE joy ride. Open to every automobile manufacturer, the prize to be awarded to the one who has the greatest total number of automobile lines of advertising in Lifefrom October 1, 1910 to April 1, 1911.” The trophy is a solid gold cup, 20 carat, 8 inches high, and can be seen at any time upon inquiry at Life's office. What It Really Means It is just beginning to dawn on the American people that we have entered on a NEW ERA in Automobile racing. Up to the present time, every auto race has been marred by accidents and loss of life and limb. It has remained for Life to show that it is possible to have a genuine automobile race, of breathless interest and excitement to everyone without the slightest danger. No bursting tires. No overturned cars. No danger ous curves. A straightaway contest accompanied by every phase of absorbing, soul-stirring and feverish frenzy, in which each contestant is bending all of his energies to win, and yet without the slightest chance of losing his Life! The position of the contestants in this nerve racking race is given opposite. Those who are even are placed in alphabetical order. Ask to sce the solid gold cup which will be given as the prize. A trophy to hand down to your descendants, in memory of the greatest race on record. How the Contestants Stand To Date: - 1,680 lines Haynes. siscate: Rauch & Lang Electri Waverley Electric. . almer.... Cunningham. Hupmobile. Maxwell Briscoe. Stoddard Dayton Correja... Stevens Duryea. Brewster.. Club . Kelly Motor Truck..................... 210 Speedwell. . 105 lines 17,693 lines comicbooks.com