Life, 1912-04-18 · page 35 of 54
Life — April 18, 1912 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Vacuum Oil Company advertisement** for Gargoyle Mobiloil motor oil, not a satirical cartoon page. The content explains the company's methodical approach to developing different oil grades for various car models and seasons. **The Sales Pitch:** The left column describes how Vacuum Oil scientifically analyzed automobile engines to create five distinct lubricating oil grades, tested them through "practical demonstrations," and adjusted formulations based on results. This pseudo-scientific rigor was meant to persuade buyers that Gargoyle Mobiloil was superior to competitors. **The Product Line:** Five grades (A, B, D, E, and Arctic) were offered, with a detailed chart specifying which grade suited each car make and season. The company emphasized that proper oil selection would save money long-term. **The Marketing:** The advertisement lists Vacuum Oil Company's international distribution network across major world cities, establishing credibility through global presence. There is **no political satire** on this page—it's purely commercial advertising typical of early-20th-century Life magazine, which carried substantial advertising alongside editorial content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
tly on © com. tly on ing the € great. nce, orally a he cor. rticular that is horse. But, © want iency, s from m fric. - deter. LIFE The spring- g-strength of the piston ‘4s must be considered; the fit of the ‘piston ring into its recess; the Jength of the crank shaft and con- necting-rod bearings; the feed-sys- tems; the length of the vacuum period, Ww hile intake and exhaust valves are both closed. Before anything like correct lu- brication can be determined, these, and other important considerations, must be known and studied. —_ iing for a complete range mobile lubricants, we first the construction of every car and practically every N pla of ai analyze: domesti foreign ake. Altogether we found that they re- quired | five distinct grades of lubri- cating oi. We then produced the oils. So far as it was practicable, we filtered cut the free carbon. We verified the fitness of these oils by frictional horse-power tests on many cars they were intended for. All the oils were put through practical demonstrations on_ their re spective cars. The iest-results called for some changes, which we made. Our ultimate findings are shown in the list at the bottom of this page. You will see scheduled there the correct oil for your car. cars change type from sea- son to season. The list giv es the oil required for each season’s type. In selecting from this list you may rely on three things: First: In quality, the oils estab- lish a world-standard. ond: The grade indicated for each make and each season was ar- rived at, not by guess, but by care- ful study. It was later verified by thorough demonstrations. Third: We recommend for your use the oil scheduled opposite your car. In engineering circles that would more weight than anything we said above Old, badly-worn cars sometimes need a heavier oil than the same cars require when new. If car is in that state, we shall be glad to recommend the oil for it. In writing, give the make of the car, the date of the model, the approximate mileage to date, and, so far as you can, its general condition. Some The quality of Gargoyle Mobiloil necessitates a higher than that of the usual However, their use sould result in an actual saving. Properly used, they will go farther than less correct oils. Gargoyle Mobiloils are supplied to owners through uto-supply stores, and others who handie If the retailer who generally supplies you carries k at present, you should have no difficulty in ng through him the grade of Gargoyle Mobil- oil you require. The various grades go by the following names: Gargoyle Mobiloil ‘A. Gargoyle Mobiloil ‘‘B. Gargoyle Mobiloil “D.”’ Gargoyle Mobiloil ‘‘E."" Gargoyle Mobiloil **Arctic."’ They are put up in barrels, half barrels. in s and 1 gallon cans marked with our Gargoyle trademar! VACUUM OIL COMPANY, Rochester, U.S. A. FOREIGN MARKETERS ompany aye Co. of South Africa, Ltd. APE TOWN Vacuum Oi} BO’ m Oil Company Vacuum Oil Com) HAMBURG HELSINGFO! Vacuum Ol Company LISBON Russian Vacuum Ol Company, Ltd. MOSCOW Vacuum Oil Company, R. T. BUDAPEST. Vacuum Oil Company COPENHAG| any Vacuum Ol! Company, Ltd. LONDON Vacuum Ol Company, S.A.F. PARIS Vacuum Olt Company BUENOS AIRES. Vacuum Oil Company, S.A.1. GENOA Vacuum Oil Company HONG KONG Vacuum Oil Company, Prop., Ltd. MELBOURNE Vacuum O11 Company KOBE ‘acuum Oil Compan SHANGHAT Vacuum Oil Company, A.B. STOCKHOLM DISTRIBUTING WAREHOUSES IN THE PRINCIPAL CITIES OF THE WORLD SOPOT? At E BLAtad AIA’ Luverne McFarland Metntyre(atr) af Metntyre(wat) HUET | & 3. * Ure Gargoxte Mobioil A in winter 3F Model of Matheson . Maxwell (2) ‘aston noire “ATE LAAT E 3 Bel -:ATATATATAT Minerva Kgt: Mitchell ...<A1 rea 1 Use Gargoyle Mobitoil E in winter 87 Atel of Vacuum Ol Company } CAIRO Meciroil SONI? Medabef HON a8 niaATATATA, ~ATALARAS ATAR 4 Penn .... Pennsyiv Mes BE? eb ae SeSny Pope Hart datat § Pratteikhart, Sep >>0' - bbe tWdebaker: “ATATE At f Becense > Path Cond moe comicbooks.com