Life, 1918-01-17 · page 38 of 40
Life — January 17, 1918 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **car headlight lens advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the "Macbeth lens" with a green glass visor, marketed as America's safest automotive headlight solution. The ad addresses genuine early 20th-century concerns: car headlights were poorly regulated and caused accidents by blinding oncoming drivers. The advertisement claims the Macbeth lens complies with varying state laws (Washington to New York) while providing adequate illumination through scientific prism design that redirects light downward. The small cartoon in the bottom left corner appears to show a figure with a spotlight—likely illustrating the headlight safety issue the product addresses. This reflects an era when automotive safety standards were still developing and manufacturers competed on safety claims.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Glassware for all kinds of illumination and for industrial and scientific purposes. Complete light- tng fixtures, America’s Most Successful Lens Because It Ends Headlight Perils! Are you breaking the law? Are you endangering your safety and that of others by using inferior lenses that diffuse light or inflict a blinding glare? Stop it before it is too late! Put this lens with the exclu- sive green glass visor on your car. It is legal, safer and more efficient. It complies equally well with laws from the state of Washington to New York. Directions with every pair explain how lamps can be ad- justed so as to get the exact range of light required by dif- ferent state laws. Four years were devoted to its scientific perfection by world famed lens experts. No other lens is backed by the same world-wide lens experience, fa- cilities, and resources. Why not have the most effi- cient lens on your car? It avoids wasted light in the air: does not dangerously weak- en light in order to evade the law and neither offends nor im- perils others by blinding glare. The green glass visor distin- guishes the Macbeth lens. It is the final touch of style as well as of efficiency. All upward rays are re-direct- ed down to the road—avoid- ing wasted light and dangerous glare. The front surface of the lens is divided into five horizontal - prisms—each inclines at an an- gle determined with scientific accuracy. These prisms re-direct and bend the rays of light at the correct angle to give a long light and concentrated brilliance on the road. All the light, therefore, is used right—right on the road where you need it. The concave recesses in the back of the lens spread the light laterally, thus providing the very essential side lighting for turning corners. In order to get the full bene- fit of your light with complete safety, do not delay—get Mac- beth Lenses! Price per pair $5—Denver and West $5.50—Canada $6— Winnipeg and West $6.50 Macheth lenses are for sale by leading jobbers, accessory dealers and garages everywhere. If xour dealer cannot supply you, write direct tot . Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Pittsburgh Branch Offices in: Boston; Buffato; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; New York; Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Ltd., Toronto, Canada TUTER J. CAREY, PRINTER hiladelphia; Pittsburgh; San Francisco; St. Lowit |