Life, 1917-08-23 · page 39 of 40
Life — August 23, 1917 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It promotes Macbeth-Evans Glass Company's automotive headlight lenses, particularly their "green glass visor" model. The ad emphasizes safety features: the green-tinted lens redirects light downward to illuminate the road while preventing dangerous glare that blinds oncoming drivers. The text stresses legal compliance ("Don't buy lenses the police won't let you use") and engineering precision (claiming 72 hours of labor per pair). For modern readers: This reflects early automotive safety concerns when headlight glare was genuinely hazardous. The "green glass" was marketed as both protective (reducing eye strain) and prestigious. Pricing ($5 standard, $4 for Ford models) suggests early 20th-century car accessories. The emphasis on compliance and safety standards indicates these were regulated products, addressing real traffic dangers from improved automobile lighting technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
na lens the ght ered tant and mo= sses. lens lens nex= ities With a Perfected Lens! Permanent Green Glass Visor! y and efficiency in You cannot get Macbeth safe any other than the Macbeth lens. Its green enameled glass visor is not an attach- ment, but is built integral with the lens. It dresses up your car—gives it a tone and a touch of distinction. All upward rays of light are redirected down— this makes use of otherwise useless light; makes a safety of otherwise dangerous light. Don't buy lenses the police won't let you use. _ The front surface of the Macheth lens is divided into five horizontal prisms. Each is inclined at an sle determined with scientifi ‘curacy so that the itis bent at just the correct angle. All the light, therefore, is directed below the hori- zontal, | the path ‘of the car at the greatest distane long strong light on the road. The concave recesses in the hack of the lens spread the light laterally, thas providing the very essential side lighting necessary for country driving and for turning corners. No Blinding Glare! Macbeth lenses bend the rays of light at a thirty re angle. They prevent the dangerous glare that blinds the driver of an approaching automobile. They comply with laws. Stand directly in front, with the light full in your and you are not blinded. eventy-two hours are required to build each one. What other lens receives such skill and care? To have Macheth lenses on your car is to possess the utmost. No matter if other lenses have some merit, get the lenses with the most merit. ery night Macbeth lenses are making travel safe along coasts and waterways and now Macbeth quality in automobile lenses gives this same degree of safety and efficiency for those who journey overland at night. Price per pair $5—Ford Special $4 Denver and West $s.s0—Ford Special $4.50—Canada $6— Ford § pecial | $4.80 Sold by leading jobbers, accessory dealers and garages everywhere. If your dealer cannot supply you, write direct to us. face Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Pittsburgh Branch Offices in Boston; Buffalo; Chicago; Cincinn: Pittsburgh ; San Francisco : Cleveland; New York; Philadelphia; St. Louis. comicbooks.com