Life, 1912-09-26 · page 47 of 48
Life — September 26, 1912 — page 47: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **an advertisement, not a political cartoon**. The page promotes the Stearns-Knight automobile through Life magazine. The illustration depicts two well-dressed men in formal attire (top hats, overcoats) examining a Stearns-Knight car parked beneath a classical column. The image implies wealth and leadership—the "thousand leaders of men" referenced in the headline. **The sales pitch**: The ad claims that successful businessmen and professionals worldwide chose this car, positioning it as the choice of the progressive, forward-thinking elite. The "Knight" motor is presented as thoroughly tested and endorsed by the F.B. Stearns Company. **Historical context**: This appears to be early 20th-century automotive advertising, when cars were luxury goods for the wealthy. The classical architecture and gentlemen's formal dress signal exclusivity and high social status. **The satire/humor is minimal**—this is straightforward luxury marketing disguised within Life's satirical format, appealing to readers' aspirations for success and modern progress.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Choice of a Thousand Leaders of Men A thousand “big” men—leaders in scores of sand professions—purchased the Stearns- nt last year. They were men who had the choice of the markets of the whole world. These men were of the progressive type—they looked to the present and the future—not to the past. They wished to be among the first with new ideas, not among the last with old. The Stearns-Knight was their choice—and naturally so. The Knight type motor has been so thoroughly proven F that all well-posted motorists praise its s ity. Its adoption by the F, B. Stearns Co, is the strongest single endorsement it has ever received. cars of tests and experiments preceded our nowledgment of its merit and our seventeen tomobile manufacturing stand back change in the Stearns-Knight ts second year of success. ‘So splendid was its construction from the very first Catalog and dese that only a few minor improvements were de- sirable. —the bodies— t improvements No better pro- ier riding car It is in the lines of the whole the finish—the equipt over last y portioned, more comfortable, than the new Stearns-Knight has ever. ben des The new models are as beautiful and ious as they are quict and flex And Stearns stamina—power, ability. to perform under any and all conditions of service. The equipment is absolutely complete. It gives the finishing touch to the most modern car ever offered to the Fhis equipment includes self-cranking device, electric gen- erator lighting system, top, wind-shicld, Warner auto-meter, Klaxon horn, demountable and many other conve ptive matter upon request THE F. B. STEARNS COMPANY, Cleveland Branches and Dealers in 125 Principal Cities Threcepas aaubsters ser tig passenger 1 ee passenger touring car, $3,000. THE WILLIAMS PRINTING COMPANY, NEW YORK comicbooks.com