Life, 1912-01-18 · page 29 of 44
Life — January 18, 1912 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **automobile advertising**, not political satire. The page features a Stoddard-Dayton car advertisement from United States Motor Company. The illustration shows two well-dressed men in conversation, with a Stoddard-Dayton automobile visible through a window behind them. One man appears to be expressing interest in purchasing the vehicle, prompting the other's response: "That's the next car I buy." The advertisement's message emphasizes the car's distinctive design and reliable service reputation, suggesting that quality is recognizable "internally as well as externally." The ad lists various Stoddard-Dayton models (Knight, Special, Saybrook, Savoy) to appeal to different buyers. This represents early 20th-century automotive marketing using aspirational imagery and word-of-mouth testimonial appeals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The distinctive design of Stoddard-Dayton cars—combined with their reputation for extraordinary service rendered to owners under all conditions of road and weather—has provoked this comment by manya man seeking the perfect car. All (olla Dayton cars—whether the six-cylinder Stoddard-Dayton Knight, the Special, the Saybrook, or the Savoy—are marked by this distinctive quality, recognizable anywhere. This is true of them internally as well as externally. UNITED STATES MOTOR COMPANY, 17 West 61st Street, New York City ( Stoddard-Dayton Division)