Life, 1912-06-20 · page 44 of 44
Life — June 20, 1912 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not political satire. The page reproduces William Harnden Foster's famous 1910 oil painting of an Oldsmobile automobile in dramatic action—speeding through dust clouds with a driver at the wheel. The "satire" here is subtle and commercial: Olds Motor Works is presenting this artwork as high culture worthy of framing, claiming it's "The Most Famous Automobile Painting in the World." They're offering free reproductions to social clubs and corporate offices, strategically positioning the car as aspirational and prestigious rather than merely practical. The joke is the marketing strategy itself—treating car advertising as fine art. By 1912, when this ran, automobiles were still relatively novel luxuries. Olds is leveraging the painting's genuine artistic merit to elevate the brand's status and encourage displays in "good standing" clubs, turning advertising into decoration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Copyright, 1910, Olds Motor Works June 29, 1912 The Most Famous Automobile Painting in the World This reproduction of William Harnden Foster's oil painting of the Oldsmobile in action is now reprinted at the request of admirers. Imbucd with the very spirit of “Power—Silence so characteristic of the Oldsmobile,the when first published in 1910. have been circulated throughout the United States, Canada and other countries than any other automobile advertisement ever designed, We have received so many deserving calls for copies of this picture, that we feel impelled to respond, OLDS MOTOR WORKS, LANSING, MICH. Some exquisite, realistic reproductions of the original, showing every brush mark and mounted on stretcher like a painter's can- vas, ready for framing, have been made in limited quantit club or association in good standing—social, motoring, or athletic—may obtain one copy gratis for the decoration of club rooms, by early application written on the club letterhead. There are a limited number of copies exact!y the same, but in hanger form, for the offices or reception rooms of corporations. These pictures have noadvertisingon marginorback. They can scarcely be distinguished from the original on closest inspection, BRANCHES IN THE PRINCIPAL CITIES Dealers in Every Section from Coast to Coast i comicbooks.com