Life, 1913-04-24 · page 31 of 48
Life — April 24, 1913 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily automobile advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It's a Jackson Automobile Company advertisement from *Life* magazine (page 843). The image shows a Jackson "Olympic" touring car with well-dressed passengers. The ad's headline—"Buyers are judging car comfort by what they find in the Jackson"—makes a comparative sales claim: Jackson automobiles dominate the comfort market because competitors are only now adopting features Jackson has used for eleven years. The "cartoon" element is minimal; the illustration is a straightforward product image. The satirical tone, if present, is subtle marketing language positioning Jackson as the established comfort standard against newer competitors catching up. The technical details (elliptic springs, long wheelbase, motor specifications, electric starter) reflect early 1910s automobile features marketed as luxury innovations. The address (Jackson, Michigan) and pricing ($1500) date this advertisement to the pre-WWI automobile boom era. No political figures or references are apparent.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
baildiegs, gal Live. 116 Jackson “Olympic '*—$1500 5 horsepower; plant: long stroke mot rent includin er. Black and nickel t cylinders, $1 ‘ultanie"—O cylinders, five- Buyers are judgi by what they find So much has been said and printed recently about Jackson comfort that thousands of automobile buyers are making it the basis of their comparisons. This is the position in which you will find yourself when you inspect the Jackson and the various other cars. You will not be able to ignore the Jackson nor to put it out of your mind as you examine other cars; nor to avoid comparing these others with it. It is true that you will see many comfortable cars, be- cause th ar manufacturers are exerting unusual energy in this direction. But you will find also that the Jackson dominates the entire field. If you seek the reason for this you will discover that other manufacturers are beginning to do only now what we have been doing for years—providing for the passengers’ ease. ‘Experience is always valuable; and the experience of eleven years has taught our engineers how to har- monize the details of motor car construction and produce maximum comfort. Long ago experiment demonstrated that the full elliptic eee aa Sore ms by 4% ine = Elect 4 x 4 inch tires. starter and lights optional—$225 extra seven-passenger, ng car comfort in the Jackson spring has 33 to 100 per cent mure action and re- siliency than any other type; so all Jacksons are fitted with four full elliptic springs. Jackson wheelbases are long; and they contribute to the riding ease because their ratio to wheel sizes, springs, car weight and load to be carried, is care- fully worked out. With ten-inch seat cushions, slanted a bit toward the rear, we build the backs to shoulder height and upholster them richly, too. We have provided a motor of the long stroke, enclosed- valve type that is silent, sure and powerful. And back of it a train of transmission and driving mechanism, fitted with ball and roller bearings throughout, developed to the high point reached in the motor. All the Jacksons are equipped with self-starting de- vices—two of them electric and an electric starter optional on the third—which add the last touch to the convenience of their operation. See the Jackson; have a demonstraticn of its remark- able comfort; and we are willing to leave the deci- sion to your judgment. Jackson Automobile Company, 1300 East Main Street, Jackson, Michigan DO TT comicbooks.com