Old Cadillac Lasalle Ads

Here are some scans that I made to digitize an old guy’s scrapbook. These are lovely illustrations that capture the energy of the late 1920s. I found the wikipedia article on the history Lasalle fascinating, and a little tragic:

The Cadillac Lasalle was sold between 1927 and 1940, as a companion marque to the top of the line Cadillac.

What emerged as the LaSalle in 1927 is widely regarded as the beginning of modern American automotive styling. Its designer, Harley Earl, launched a 30 year career as General Motors’ Vice President of the new Art & Color Studios, that guides General Motors’ designs today. Built in General Motors of Canada after Cadillac in 1923 to 1935 and Olds 1920 to 1969 LaSalle was built here in St. Louis from 1927 to 1935.

Prior to the LaSalle, automobiles essentially followed a set pattern, with design changes set by engineering needs. The Ford Model T evolved over its extended run, but ever so slightly, making a 1927 Model T almost identical to a 1910 Model T.

In LaSalle’s case that it wasn’t a Cadillac was probably the ruinous factor. People do buy prestige and a Cadillac was prestige. LaSalle did not have the time to develop a prestigious name before the onset of the Great Depression, and did not have the opportunity after.