Life, 1920-04-22 · page 35 of 44
Life — April 22, 1920 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes the Ideal Power Lawn Mower, manufactured by R.E. Olds' company in Lansing, Michigan. The advertisement addresses a genuine early-20th-century problem: labor scarcity. The opening headline states the machine "can take care of several good sized lawns," emphasizing that "help is hard to get"—reflecting post-WWI domestic help shortages that made yard maintenance difficult for homeowners. The satire, if present, is subtle: the tagline claims one power mower "does the work of five hand mowers," converting manual labor into mechanical efficiency. Small accompanying illustrations show the machine's capabilities (cutting blades, rolling function). The ad targets middle-class homeowners and institutions (golf clubs, cemeteries, estates) who could afford motorized solutions. The framing suggests modernization as both practical necessity and status symbol—a common advertising approach of the 1920s era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
This man can take care of several good sized lawns . compact and simple machine it practical and possible for ow sized lawns to use a power lawn ities where lawns will average about the proper care of the for help is hard to get ct everyone likes to keep nd in good condition | Power Lawn Mower makes it pos with moderate sized lawns to en ower-driven machine job to another by its one man can easily take care of sized lawns. nee these machines are being pur asel al operated on. the eral property owners buy a machine tox then oie man can keep all of their lawns in and the work can be cost a er than was ever possible with hand Dewers. The invesiincnt very low, work per is moderate. operating cost is J one machine will easily do as much los as five hard-working men. It is a IDEAL POWER LAWN MOWER COMPANY ee B Kalamayoo Street R. E, OLDS, Chairman big labor saver, and will pay for itself in months’ time Advantages of the Ideal Power Lawn Mower The Ideal is a power mower and roller in one and the sod is rolled every time the grass is cut he mower has a thirty-inch cut, and one man can easily mow four or five acres of grass per day at an operation expense of about fifty cents for fuel and oil. Machine turns easily and will cut close up to walks, trees, flower-beds and shrubbery \ sturdy, powerful and simple machine with no clutches or complicated parts to wear and get of order Owners of private estates, public parks, golf clubs, country clubs, cemeteries, etc, are all using the Ideal Tractor Lawn Mower with great success. A special set of cutting blades can be furnished for use on the putting greens. You can secure the Ideal through your dealer direct or from our factory. Write today for cata log and further details S Slarket Bt, Pittsburgh, 10816 W. Park Way, N.S. Cleveland, 1227 W. sth St. Chicago, $33 8, Dearborn St Denver, Colo., 18th and Ware St t ix Los Angeles Ave. Portland Front 8t. d are 9 Camp St Toronto, 17 Temperance Street ngton St. I} EAL DOWER LAWN Lansing, Michigan comicbooks.com