Life, 1912-02-01 · page 48 of 48
Life — February 1, 1912 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **automobile advertising**, not political satire. The page features an advertisement for the 1912 Pierce-Arrow Touring Car from Buffalo, New York. The illustration labeled "AT THE MEET" depicts an affluent social scene—likely a fox hunt or similar upper-class outdoor gathering—with well-dressed people, horses, and the featured automobile. This wasn't coincidental: the ad strategically associates the Pierce-Arrow with wealth and social prestige. The descriptive text emphasizes design features appealing to luxury buyers: unified body construction, integrated controls, clean lines, and styling compared to a "well-designed yacht"—all markers of high-end craftsmanship. For 1912 readers, this evoked exclusivity and status. For modern readers, it's notable as early automotive advertising that sold lifestyle rather than specifications, and as evidence of the automobile's rapid transition from novelty to status symbol among the wealthy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
February 1, 1912 AT THE MEET HE 1912 Pierce-Arrow Tour- ing Car has a body that is a unit, with one straight line flowing from the rise at the back into the curve of the dash. All entrances are closed by doors, but the opening at the right of the driver is closed en- tirely,the levers being placed inside. Nothing appears on the running board, and thecar has the trim, grace- ful curves of a well-designed yacht THE PIERCE-ARROW MOTOR CAR COMPANY BUFFALO, NEW YORK