Life, 1924-05-15 · page 39 of 46
Life — May 15, 1924 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Chandler automobile advertisement**, not a satirical cartoon. It uses period-typical gender stereotyping to promote the car's "Traffic Transmission." The ad claims that women drivers of Chandlers are exceptionally skilled and composed—but the humor lies in the *implied reason*: not because women are naturally good drivers, but because the automatic transmission does the work *for* them. By eliminating manual gear-shifting, women supposedly can't make mistakes and thus appear competent. This reflects 1920s attitudes: women were stereotyped as poor drivers prone to panic, yet the ad backhanded compliments them by suggesting mechanical aids make them "expert drivers." The imagery of women confidently at the wheel was meant to appeal to the growing female automotive market, while the subtext reinforces that they needed technological help to drive safely. The "Comrade Roadster" name is unclear in meaning here.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
COMRADE ROADSTER 2-3 passengers Since the Traffic Transmission was developed, an exceptional num- ber of women have taken to driving Chandlers. And their driving is marked by unusual qualities. They handle their cars with all the skill that the most exacting critic could expect. They never do the unexpected. They are always cool, calm and collected. The reason, of course, is obvious. The Traffic Transmission enables them to forget entirely the problem of changing speeds and to devote THE Export Department, 1819 Broadway, New York City CHANDLER MOTOR CAR COMPANY How Chandler Makes All Women Expert Drivers their undivided attention to the road. It makes gear clashing im- possible. It guarantees a faultlessly perfect gear change under every condition —from high to low or low to high at any speed. It insures safety in the descent of hills—makes parking easy. That is why the Traffic Trans- mission is generally regarded as one of the great automotive improve- ments of the decade—and why it stands as a fit companion to the Pikes Peak Motor. CLEVELAND Cable Address “Chanmotor”* ONLY CHANDLER OFFERS THE PIKES PEAK MOTOR AND THE TRAFFIC TRANSMISSION “Gr $1485 The Traffic Transmission is built an tat eratreise L095 All Prices f. 0. b. Cleveland complete in the Chandler plant under Campbell patents) Four Door $1895 comicbooks.com