Life — November 21, 1912 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily a **Packard automobile advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Packard "38" luxury car, emphasizing driver convenience features for the era: left-hand drive, electric self-starter, electric lighting, and centralized controls on a dashboard. The headline "Ask the man who owns one" appears at the top—a famous Packard advertising slogan. The ad targets wealthy buyers by highlighting technological sophistication: the electric starter eliminated hand-cranking (dangerous and difficult), and consolidated controls meant drivers could operate the vehicle "from driving position" without leaving their seat. This reflects early 1910s automotive marketing, when such features were novel luxuries signaling both engineering prowess and owner status. There is no cartoon or political content on this page.