Life, 1916-06-29 · page 6 of 41
Life — June 29, 1916 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It's a 1910s-era Oldsmobile "Light Eight" car ad from Life magazine. The illustration depicts a fancy open-air automobile carrying well-dressed passengers on an outing, with pedestrians and a town visible in the background—imagery designed to appeal to affluent buyers. The text's main pitch emphasizes that Oldsmobile's **reputation rests on "character and past performance."** The ad highlights engineering quality, fuel efficiency ("12 to 14 miles per gallon"), and luxury features like comfortable seating. There's no political satire here. It's straightforward vintage advertising using aspirational imagery of leisure and sophistication to sell automobiles to the wealthy—typical of early-twentieth-century marketing in upscale publications.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The only important influence that the reputation borne by Oldsmobile should exercise upon your selection of a motor car should come from a realization that reputation is inevitably based upon character and past performance. ight Eisht $1195 Engineering and manufacturing skill show at their best in the Olds- mobile 8-cylinder motor, which produces a mighty power-flow, so dex- terously distributed that from a snail’s pace up to locomotive speed it responds smoothly and instantly to control. It properly combines light- ness, compactness and power. And it is economical, as attested by the 12 to 14 miles it extracts from each gallon of gasoline. Luxury and comfort are completely realized in the roomy riding quarters and wide, deeply upholstered seats. The body design and workmanship of finish and appointments are uncommonly fine when judged even by the highest standards. The Oldsmobile Light Eight, 5-passenger—$1195 f. 0. b. Lansing. Roadster $1195. Write for our aew booklet, “The Light Eight De Luxe.” os) OLDS MOTOR WORKS Estoblished 1880 LANSING MICHIGAN Incorporated 1890 comicbooks.com