Life — March 9, 1911 — page 27: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily an **advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes the Stoddard-20 automobile, manufactured by the Dayton Motor Car Co. in Dayton, Ohio, priced at $1475. The ad emphasizes the car's features: a 5-passenger touring car with a 112-inch wheelbase, four cylinders, and optional accessories. The lower photograph shows a man demonstrating the vehicle's capabilities—walking beside it while it runs in high gear with throttle closed, highlighting its reliability and ease of operation. For modern readers: this represents early automotive advertising that emphasized mechanical innovation and practical performance rather than style or luxury. The "surprise of the automobile season" language reflects the novelty of automobiles themselves in this pre-WWI era.