Life, 1912-10-31 · page 43 of 44
Life — October 31, 1912 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a full-page automobile advertisement in *Life* magazine. The page advertises the Stearns-Knight Car, manufactured by the F.B. Stearns Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The imagery features a well-dressed businessman in a cap and coat examining the automobile, positioned alongside a detailed drawing of the car itself. The ad emphasizes that "a thousand men" of distinction chose this vehicle, claiming it represents the pinnacle of automotive engineering with modern conveniences like self-starters, electric lighting, and demountable rims. The modest illustration and pricing (ranging from $1,750 to $5,100) reflect early 1910s luxury automobiles marketed to affluent professionals. The tagline "Leaders of Men" and the depiction of the businessman reinforce the car's association with success and status. This appears to be straightforward commercial advertising capitalizing on aspirational messaging common in the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Stearns-Knight Car— Chosen by Leading Men During the past year the Stearns-Knight car was the choice of a thousand men—men who demanded and secured the best and most modern development in automobile engineering. They were men who had the whole world from which to pick and choose, These thousand men took our entire output. Because of the continued heavy demand, we found it necessary to secure an additional factory. Now an even greater success is being scored, and in the new Stearns-Knight s found a still wider range from which to choose. Roadsters, four-passenger dels and five and seve senger touring cars are offered, with chassis lengths varied to suit the body designs. The equipment of all models is complete in every detail, embracing self-starter, electric generator lighting system, top, windshield, Warner Auto-Meter, Klaxon \, horn, demountable rims and many other conveniences New Series Stearns-Knight Models Seven-passenger touring ‘car Siven:naies ine a Four- ‘Lights Three- Roadster Limousine. . Landaulet Catalog and descriptive matter upon request THE F. B. STEARNS CO., Cleveland, Ohio Branches and Dealers in 125 Cities ~ LEADERS OF MEN THE WILLIAMS PRINTING COMPANY, NEW YORK comicbooks.com