Life, 1920-05-20 · page 45 of 48
Life — May 20, 1920 — page 45: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Macbeth-Evans Glass Company's "Green Visor Lens" automobile headlight covers, published in *Life* magazine. The illustration depicts an enormous green-tinted lens mounted on a stylized car chassis with industrial/mechanical imagery below it, emphasizing the product's engineering sophistication. The ad's appeal targets early automotive etiquette concerns: it frames the product as both legally compliant (meeting safety standards) and socially refined—a "gentleman's car" accessory. The copywriting emphasizes that green visors redirect upward light beams downward to avoid "blinding" other drivers, presenting safety as courtesy. The mention of "national endorsement for battleships and lighthouses" attempts to lend credibility through military/industrial applications. The pricing table indicates this was a premium product sold across North America. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about automobile headlight glare and the emerging cultural expectation that car ownership implied social responsibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE: A EEEEEEEEEEBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESES Macbeth Green Visor Lens Signals! Macbeth green visor lenses combine the sa/ety that law compels with the consideration that courtesy requires. They permit no blinding rays to discomfort other drivers. They mark a gentleman's car. The Macbeth prisms control and direct the light in a brilliant shaft, straight and far ahead, in wide, uniform illumination. All upward beams are redirected down at the correct angle ox the road. No ray escapes to dazzle or confuse. The light is placed where it is wanted. The principle of Macbeth has national endorsement for battleships and lighthouses as well as motor cars. The green visors add a touch of distinctive elegance to every car and on every one they are signals of safety and courtesy. Put them on yours. oo fefe Price per pair $5.25—Denver and West $5.75—Cansda $6—Winnipeg and West $6.50 Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Pittsburgh Branch Offices in: Boston; Buffalo; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; New York; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; San Francisco Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Limited, Toronto, Canada comicbooks.com