During the automobile’s first years, the expensive, dashing, automobile was a plaything of the social elite and was surrounded with mystery. The driver and his passenger were bold explorers of the New World. Brand names were substituted for the word automobile” and an owner began to refer to his automobile as “Mercedes” and the names, because of their use in posters, became symbols of power or wealth or speed.This vintage poster was produced at a Stuttgart studio, which did not credit the artist. The background is the Stuttgart Palace Garden, which became the Stuttgart State Opera, which still exists today. The famous Mercedes star logo is still uncircled in this poster, as the company did not register the trademark in its present form until 1919. Copies of the vintage poster are in museums in Berlin and Munich.”