Life, 1915-12-23 · page 33 of 40
Life — December 23, 1915 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon** but rather a **full-page advertisement** for industrial ball bearings, appearing in *Life* magazine (page 1253). The ad promotes New Departure brand ball bearings as essential components in high-performance automobiles. The imagery shows racing cars in action, emphasizing "Power! Endurance! Speed!"—qualities the bearings allegedly guarantee. Two technical diagrams illustrate the Double Row and Single Row bearing types. The advertisement's authority claim rests on racing pedigree: master cars winning "the world's great racing contests" allegedly used these bearings, and 82% of American motor manufacturers employed them as standard equipment. This reflects the early automotive era's marketing strategy of linking consumer products to racing success and technological superiority—establishing the brand through competitive legitimacy rather than celebrity endorsement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
id Cal ad @ WV PI GIGIGII HONCIOLE RO LUCHOUC) \. & & & & Si Si & & y & 5 iS & iS SI SI Si & © eX New Departure Double Row Type A. single, self-contained, “fool- proof” unit carrying all the loads and stresses simultaneously from whatecer direction they may come, with equal efficiency, and reducing friction to the vanishing point. New Departure Single Row Type A bight ed anti-frict aig Moneeders pr only are to be carried. Endurance! Speed! The master cars which have won the world’s great racing contests—the cars that have proved victorious in power, endurance and speed—have all been equipped with the Ball type of Bearing—because this Bearing guarantees the utmost refinement and efficiency in motor car construction. are used as standard equipment by 82 per cent of Amencan motor car manu- facturers. They are made of chrome al- loy steel developed to superlative strength and exactness by ultra modern processes. For these reasons you should insist upon your car being equipped with New Departure Ball Bearings—which are guaranteed at our factory by a system of inspections and tests that is not surpassed in any plant in the world. New Departure Ball Bearings in your car make it possi- ble for the car manufacturer to assure you all the power, all the endurance, all the speed in the severest service You will be interested in our booklet—" New Departure Ball Bearings and What They Mean to the Car Owner.” It is yours for the asking—Write for Booklet F. THE NEW DEPARTURE MFG. CO. Conrad Patent Licensee Main Office and Works, Bristol, Conn. Hartford Division, Western Branch Hartford, Connecticut. Detroit, 1016-17 Ford Bldg British Agents: Brown Bros., Ltd Be. Continent of Europe Agent Jacob Hol: nhagen, Freeport, Depot New Departure, 16 Rue d’Armaille, Paris LASISISIDIGIAI SIDS SDSS: SIS DI PDiGISISISI SSG GI PGIGIPISIS1G: Y ABDI DIGI GIGIGIGIGIDIGIGIGIGIGIPIGIGIDIGIGIP comicbooks.com