Life, 1916-09-28 · page 5 of 41
Life — September 28, 1916 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement** for Reo Motor Car Company of Lansing, Michigan, not political satire. The large engraving shows an ornate letter "R" in decorative serif style—a common typographic element in early 20th-century advertising design. The accompanying text emphasizes Reo's business philosophy, claiming adherence to the "Golden Rule" in manufacturing and customer relations. The ad's message targets middle-class consumers: Reo promises quality products ("The Gold Standard of Values"), honest business practices, and consistency of values over time. This reflects early automotive-era marketing that appealed to consumer trust and ethical business conduct rather than purely technical specifications. There is **no political cartoon or satire present** on this page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
We Reo Folk believe in the Golden Rule so ‘ly we apply it in business as in personal ‘week days as well as Sundays; in our alings with customers we may never see, as ith the home folk. Reo success—and that success has been more han we could have hoped for in the beginning— been due directly to the ideals that are Reo— d the consistent adherence to a policy laid n in the beginning. is our boast, and our pride, that the name Stands for all that is fair and good in mer- chandising, as it stands for the ripest there is in experience and the best in manufacturing facili- ties. To such an extent is this true, you who read this have come to know and to regard the Reo product as “‘The Gold Standard of Values” in automobiles and motor trucks, It is our ambition to so conduct this business that, as the years go by, you will not find reason to change, but will be the more strongly con- firmed in that good opinion of Reo. Reo Motor Car Company, Lansing, Michigan COMICDOOKS.cOmM