Guess who paid for this ad…

Life magazine • September 18, 1964

On either side of this ad is one for Round-the-Clock stockings (“They fit”) and another for Pittsburgh Plate Glass windows (“Look for the model homes with the stars in the windows.”)

Insurance was always a big advertiser in mid-century magazines. This issue of Life included ads for Metropolitan Life, Mutual of New York and Nationwide among others. Could this photo of a car cut in half by a tree — likely a fatal accident — be for Allstate?

Definitely not!

The ad’s only copy:

Just a reminder: drive carefully, obey traffic laws and have your eyes examined every year or so. Better Vision Institute.

So, get your eyes checked or die horribly, says the optometry lobby.