Life, 1916-04-27 · page 33 of 44
Life — April 27, 1916 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a full-page advertisement for the Oldsmobile Light Eight automobile, not a political cartoon. The page appears in *Life* magazine (page 813) and features a dramatic illustration of an open-top roadster driving beneath a castle perched on a cliff, evoking European romance and adventure. The ad copy appeals to affluent consumers by claiming that Oldsmobile owners for the past 17 years have had "tastes impelled them to seek a car of above the common level." The company emphasizes the vehicle's beauty, construction, motor simplicity, luxury, and performance to justify its $1,195 price point (substantial for the era). The advertisement positions Oldsmobile as a premium choice for discerning buyers, contrasting it implicitly against ordinary automobiles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Oldsmobile Light Eight, 5-passenger— $1195 f. 0. b. Lansing. Roadster $1195. Write for our new booklet “The Light Eight De Luxe."” Tigh HOSE who have expressed their preference for Olds- mobiles in the past 17 years have been people whose tastes impelled them to seek a car of above the common level of motor car merit. So the fact that the demand for Oldsmobile Light Eights has now well-nigh reached our production limit is substantial appreciation of Olds- mobile supremacy in point of beauty—of construction—of motor simplicity—of luxury—of performance, OLDS MOTOR WORKS Established 1880 LANSING MICHIGAN Incorporated 1899 comicbooks.com