Life, 1913-02-27 · page 27 of 40
Life — February 27, 1913 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not political satire. The illustration shows two men in an early touring car navigating difficult terrain (hills and sand), with the slogan "No Hill Too Steep / No Sand Too Deep"—claiming the Jackson automobile's superior capability. The three models advertised—"Olympic," "Majestic," and "Sultanic"—use grandiose names reflecting early automotive marketing's tendency toward exotic, luxurious nomenclature. The lengthy text emphasizes comfort features: elliptic springs, high seat backs, soft cushions, long wheelbases, and optional electric starters and lights. This appeared in *Life* magazine, which despite its satirical reputation, regularly featured advertisements. The content reflects early-1900s automotive technology and consumer concerns: reliability, comfort, and the novelty of electrical features. No specific political figures or contemporary events are referenced.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NO HILL TOO STEEP NO SAND TOO DEEP “Olympic”? (Illustrated) $1,500 35H. P. four-cylinder touring car, completely equipped. Electric starter and lights are optional, at an extra cost of $225. “Majestic” $1975.—45 H. P. four-cylinder tour- ing car, completely equipped and fitted with electric starter and lights. “Sultanic’’ $2650.—55 H. P. six-cylinder touring car, seven-passenger. Completely equipped and fitted with electric starter and lights. Five-Passenger, $2500. Jackson—first among comfortable cars; and why The big demand of the year, as you know, is for comfort. The Jackson, as you also know, has always been a comfortable car. So we believe we are justified in saying that this year, more than ever before, the Jackson stands first among such cars. It is natural that it should, because of our long experience in designing cars for comfort, as well as for the other essentials. This experience covers eleven years, as applied to the automobile; and reaches two decades farther back into the carriage industry. There we learned the value of full elliptic springs —so we use four on every Jackson model. There we learned that high seat backs and soft cushions are easiest riding; so Jackson seat backs are shoulder high, the cushions 10 inches thick and inclined a bit toward the rear. Long wheelbases have been Jackson features for years. They make a car ride easily. So do large wheels and tires. Just the right weight and its correct distribution, enough power and a reserve; a silent power plant, and driving mechanism highly perfected. These are some of the things our engineers con- tribute to the comfort of Jackson cars. Self-starters, electric lights and automatic gas lighters, demountable rims and wheels—with their convenience—add the last touch to com- plete the satisfaction of Jackson ownership. We shall be glad to have the Jackson dealer demon- strate all these features for you if you will write for his name and the catalog. Jackson Automobile Company, 1300 E. Main Street, Jackson, Mich. comicbooks.com