Life, 1918-05-02 · page 39 of 40
Life — May 2, 1918 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not satire or political content—it's a **straightforward advertisement** for automotive headlight lenses by Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, likely from the 1920s. The image shows a Rolls-Royce automobile equipped with a Macbeth lens (the large circular headlight shown enlarged on the right). The ad emphasizes that quality matters more than cost ("it is not what they cost but what they **do**"). The sales pitch highlights technical features: the lens's concave design spreads light laterally without producing blinding glares, and it complies with traffic laws. The ad notes that such lenses are chosen by owners of the highest-priced cars, positioning Macbeth as a premium product for luxury vehicles. This appears in *Life* magazine as a paid advertisement rather than editorial content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Rolls-Royce Cor equipped with Macbeth Lense —on the’Highest Priced Cars Theconcave recessesinthe back of the lens spread the light laterally, thus providing the very essential [ is not what they cost but what they do that makes Macbeth These lenses are built with the same scientific accuracy and_ skill They do not shoot blinding up- ward glares that menace others. Lenses the choice by owners of that has the highest priced cars. Evans as world-wide lens authori- Incidentally Macbeth Lenses are tics. They give you the benefit of 1 } finer looking. all your light and comply with laws. Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Pittsburgh Branch Offices in: Boston; Buffalo; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; New York; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; San’ Francisco; St. Lowis Mocbeth-Evans Glass Co., Ltd., Toronto, Canada The front surface of the lens is ded into five horizontal prisms —each inclines at_an angle deter- mined with scientific accuracy. established — Macheth- side lighting for turning corners, It requires seventy-two hours to build one Macbeth Lens . Macbeth lenses are for sale by lead: Price per Pair $5 o ers Deneer ond West $5.50 Cenada $6—Winnipes and West $6.50 ‘and garages every If your dealer cannot write direct to comicbooks.con