Life, 1912-05-09 · page 29 of 48
Life — May 9, 1912 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward automobile advertisement from Life magazine, circa 1912. The Maxwell "Mascotte" was a real car priced at $980 (approximately $33,000 in 2024 dollars). The ad uses the framing device of "public judgment at auto shows" to claim the Mascotte won consumer approval and offers exceptional value for middle-class families. The advertisement emphasizes reliability through specific claims: high scores in the Glidden Tours (a famous cross-country reliability race), and a statistic that 91% of Maxwell cars sold seven years prior remained in active service. The illustration shows two early automobiles and elegantly-dressed passengers near a castle-like building, suggesting both practicality and aspirational lifestyle appeal. This represents typical early automotive advertising strategy: leveraging competition results and durability claims to justify the price to budget-conscious buyers seeking quality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
f.0.6, factory (top extra) Take the Public’s Jud. ent—— at the Auto Shows the big value w Maxréll Mascotte *980 For close comparison of cars, the greatest opportunities are offered by the big Shows. Atall these Shows, ‘‘Mascotte’”’ was the magnet that drew general public approval. It was conceded wonderful value. Such judgment demands your consideration in your search for the best car at the price. No other car at sucha price meets so completely the requirements of the family man—the man of moderate in- come. The Maxwell ‘‘Mascotte” has room for the whole family— power enough for any emerg- ency, hills or heavy roads— and high-class style that you can be proud of. Maxwell reliability, too, is a part of this car. What other car has back of it sucha record as highest team scores in the /ast/wo Glidden Tours—holder of the world’s record of 10,000 miles cross-country with- out stopping motor—records of New York State showing 91% of the Maxwell cars sold seven years ago, registered again this year, ix active service. Let us show you the high-pricea car features embodied in the ‘‘Mas- cotte’’. Send for the 1912 Cata- logue de Luxe and other books of value to an automoDilist. Just say on a postal, “Send Books.” UNITED STATES MOTOR COMPANY Maxwell Division 17 West 61st St., New York WA aw SIN comicbooks.com