Life, 1912-08-29 · page 2 of 42
Life — August 29, 1912 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire**. It promotes the Stearns-Knight automobile from The F.B. Stearns Company in Cleveland. The main illustration depicts a naval officer in dress uniform admiring a Stearns-Knight car, with the caption "LEADERS OF MEN" and "NAVY." The ad's headline claims "The Leader With Leading Men," arguing that prominent figures—including military officers—choose this vehicle. The text boasts of the car's technical innovations (sleeve valve motor, Warner Auto-Meter, electric lighting) and competitive pricing ($3,750-$3,900). The naval officer imagery appears designed to associate the automobile with authority, leadership, and prestige. This is straightforward product promotion using status symbols rather than political commentary or satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LEAD. ‘Annual Subscription ERS OF Entered at the Post Office at New Yor! Class Bail Bt Copyright in Faglind and the Hit The Stearns-Knight Car The Leader With Leading Men In every community there is a leader—some man always a step in advance of his fellows. He is the man who first sces the drift of new business thoughts —who catches the first of the progressive spirit. He is the man always eager to seize upon the latest and most advanced ideas. xe & It is men of this calibre who last year purchased Stearns-Knight cars—close to one thousand of them. They were men familiar with the progress made by the Knight type sleeve valve motor in recent years. They realized that this motor meant progress and efficiency heretofore unheard of in automobile con- struction. In short they recognized the leadership of the Stearns-Knight car. eee During the past year these owners have driven their cars millions of road miles. And those millions of road miles have so thoroughly proven the entire car that practically no change in the chassis has been found desirable. A year’s service in the hands of owners has but confirmed the judgment of our ex- periments and tests. * * But while there was little room for mechanical changes, new styles and designs meant refinements in the body lines, equipment and finish. The de- signs of the new models have given these cars a distinctiveness all their own. ee ® The equipment is absolutely complete:—Self- cranking device, Warner Auto-Meter, windshield, electric generator lighting system, Klaxon horn, bulb horn, silk mohair top and slip cover, Q. D. demountable rims (two extra rims), muffler cut-out, robe-rail, foot-rest, tire carrier, complete tool and tire repair equipment, etc. ‘* # * Great attention has been paid also to the develop- ment of the qualities that tend to comfort and luxuriousness. Owing to the cost of added refine- ments the price of the five-passenger model is now $3,750 and the seven-passenger $3,900. Catalog and descriptive matter upon request. THE F. B. STEARNS COMPANY, 12963 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Branches and Dealers in 125 Cities Three-passenger roadster, $3,750; four-passenger light touring car, $3,750; Five-passenger touring fouring car, $3,900. $3,750; Secen-passenger comicbooks.com