Life, 1920-07-01 · page 51 of 56
Life — July 1, 1920 — page 51: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward automobile advertisement from Life magazine's advertising section (page 51). The ad promotes the Columbia Six, a touring car manufactured by Columbia Motors Company in Detroit. Rather than emphasizing showroom aesthetics ("lines, trimming, and equipment"), the ad targets **long-distance travelers** by emphasizing reliability and dependability. The sales pitch reflects early 1900s automotive concerns: roads were poor, repair shops distant, and mechanical failure during cross-country travel posed real hardships. The ad's emotional appeal focuses on trust — that the car will reliably deliver tourists to meals, baths, and beds. The small illustration shows the sport model; another image depicts the car on a dusty road, visually reinforcing the "real-world conditions" messaging. The phrase "good all the way through" encapsulates the durability claim. This represents typical Life magazine automotive advertising from the era when car touring was becoming popular leisure activity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Worthy of Trust When youare miles away from the ministration of the repair man —when the long, hot road pounds and grinds—when the lustre of finish has vanished under a smear of dust and mud— how com- pletely many of the features and “selling points’? which looked so attractive in the show room are forgotten. Lines, trimming, and equipment were vastly important back home on the boulevard. But to the man at the wheel on tour, one thought stands uppermost, making or marring his pleasure in the trip—can I implicitly “ust my car? Will it bring us to that goal of every tourist—a meal, a bath, and a bed? To the owner of a Columbia Six touring is the most glorious sport in the world. The Colambis Siz Sport Model His car has won his confidence by its dependable service. vee The Columbia Six is generally conceded to be one of the most beautiful cars built today. But the satisfaction that lasts season after season, after the paint and top are old and worn, is the im- plicit ¢rus¢ that it will take you through anything, whether it is on a trip into town or across the continent. It proves worthy of trust because ‘7 7s good all the way through’. largely elim thration leptin svt and ie COLUMBIA MOTORS COMPANY fessengers and car, DETROIT, U. S. A. nizing spring suspension maket the Columbia Sir particula for long, hard cross-country \oThahe Gem of the tgsawayw— ha comicbooks.com