Life, 1911-05-11 · page 44 of 44
Life — May 11, 1911 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **automobile advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It appears in *Life* magazine from May 11, 1911, promoting Oldsmobile vehicles manufactured in Lansing, Michigan. The image shows a luxury touring car navigating a steep mountain road with well-dressed passengers aboard, illustrating the vehicle's climbing power and reliability. The advertisement emphasizes engineering innovations: a powerful long-stroke motor, four-speed transmission, and ability to handle steep grades without frequent gear-shifting. Three models are advertised: the Special ($3,000), the Autocrat ($3,500), and the Limited ($6,000—the six-cylinder model). The text's claim that "The Oldsmobile cannot be judged by ordinary standards—it creates new standards of its own" reflects early 1900s automobile marketing rhetoric, positioning the brand as superior through engineering achievement rather than price competition alone. This reflects the era when automobiles were luxury goods primarily for wealthy consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
May 11, 1911 another, in those features that actually add to motoring efficiency, reliability and touring comfort, the Oldsmobile stands out in its true colors—as a big engineering achieve- ment. I: the really essential features that distinguish one car from For instance: the powerful, long-stroke motor comes near to solving the long-sought ideal—all speeds on the direct drive. Thus, while equipped with an effective four-speed transmission for use in starting and for climbing the steepest grades, the owner of an Oldsmobile may drive for miles and miles with- out the necessity of touching the gear lever. THE SPECIAL 4-Cylinder, $3000 OLDS MOTOR WORKS THE AUTOCRAT 4-Cylinder, $3500 With seven passengers aboard, he may soar up inclines which force other cars to third or even second speed and this with no more effort than a slight movementof hand or foot on the throttle. When you learn that this big silent engine is built so that it cannot rack or strain itself in a decade of use, when you realize that the Oldsmobile is the first large car with wheels and tires of adequate size, when you fully appreciate the importance of these features in touring or in driving in and out of city traffic, you will say: “The Oldsmobile cannot be judged by ordinary standards— it creates new standards of its own.” THE LIMITED 6-Cylinder, $5000 LANSING, MICH. comicbooks.com