Life, 1915-10-28 · page 37 of 52
Life — October 28, 1915 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Willard Storage Battery Company advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It occupies most of a 1925 *Life* magazine page (page 817). The ad promotes Willard's network of service stations by contrasting "expert" battery maintenance with inferior competitors. The central image shows a Willard service station with a customer's car being serviced—a photograph meant to convey legitimacy and professionalism. The text emphasizes free inspections and preventive care ("catches little things in time"), positioning Willard as a trustworthy alternative to fly-by-night "slip-shod" operators who are merely "sales offices" with nothing behind them. An inspection card is shown promising monthly free battery checks. **For modern readers**: This reflects early automotive culture when car owners relied on specialized service networks. The ad's emphasis on expertise, facilities, and fair pricing addresses consumer anxieties about being cheated—concerns that clearly existed in the 1920s auto industry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
illard * dst sesso Pg —,, Good Battery Service? At any Willard Service Station you can get the free inspection that catches little things in time. Maybe your battery needs only some distilled water, tightening of a connection; or some other trifle—easily attended to now, but sure to cause expense if neglected. While you’re there, look at the equipment. the facilities for charging, the tools for repairs. Talk to the man in charge. You'll find he knows his busi- ne He’ll tell you how good care means longer life and better performance; and if your battery really needs repairing, the job will be done right, at a fair price. Note Then you’ll appreciate the difference between expert Willard Service and the slip-shod methods of some so- called service stations where perhaps the only equip- ment is a catalog of parts. ivery one of the 500 Willard Stations is a real service station, real battery man—not merely a sales office on the sixth city block, or a store front with nothing back of it. AT ANY WILLARD BRANCH OR SERVICE STATION ANYWHERE Me. Jods _ 1s ented to FREE INSPECTI of the Storage Battery on his car. Date Insued LO/} each month, Willard Ps quality that is built into Willard Ba Thet ponsible for the fact that about 700,000 V are in use on over 140 makes of motor- Free Inspection for Anybody Anywhere in conditi taking adv inspection card at any Willard Service Station. Tt will kind of s that you can't afford to be without. Seni Booklet Your Storage Battery, What It Is and 1 Out of It." This book contains valuable battery advic Service Stations all over the country. Willard Storage Battery Company Cleveland, Ohio 228-290 W. 28th Street 1-90 So, Wabash Avenue ‘Aruasta: $10 East Cain Street holand st Londen W., Eagland™ ¢ Stations in all principal cities. There ere some real opportunities open for men who have the expert knowledge and complete facilities to give the kind of service demanded by Willard standards. comicbooks.com