Life — January 19, 1911 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is an advertisement for Packard Motor Trucks, not political satire. The page features a photograph of an industrial truck positioned beneath a large storage silo or grain elevator. The ad's tagline—"Ask the man who owns one"—was Packard's actual advertising slogan. The advertisement makes a straightforward commercial claim: eighty-five Packard trucks have been purchased by thirty-nine public service companies in twenty-eight cities. It emphasizes the truck's capacity ("three tons—twelve miles an hour"), appealing to businesses seeking reliable commercial vehicles. This represents early automotive advertising in *Life* magazine, targeting industrial and municipal buyers rather than consumers. The modest specifications reflect early 1900s truck technology before mass-produced alternatives became dominant.