Life, 1912-12-12 · page 48 of 48
Life — December 12, 1912 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not satire or political cartoon. It's a 1912 Life magazine ad for the Rauch & Lang Electric automobile, positioned as a luxury vehicle for the wealthy. The ad's appeal is **class-based**: it emphasizes that Rauch & Lang cars are built for "people of unquestioned taste and sound judgment" and have earned the reputation as the "Car of Social Prestige." The ornate architectural framing (classical columns, decorative elements) reinforces exclusivity and refinement. The bottom illustration depicts a "State Coach of Cosmo Third Duke de Medici"—a historical royal carriage—to draw a parallel: just as royal coaches were built with superior craftsmanship across generations, so too are these electric automobiles. The company claims 60+ years of carriage-building expertise. **For modern readers**: this represents how early automobiles marketed themselves to the wealthy by claiming they represented the continuation of aristocratic tradition and taste—positioning car ownership as a marker of social standing rather than mere transportation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
December 12.1912 BROUGHAM There is a quality in every detail of the famous Rauch & Lang Electric which is ap- parent at once to people ac- customed to high standards. These cars are built as . staunchly and as ably as the famous royal coaches of history which have been handed down from generation to generation. But the mere expenditure of money for first-class material is not sufficient to produce the Rauch & Lang standard. We have been coach, brougham, and carriage builder: q —we have practiced the attainment of the highest standards in style and finish for more than 60 years. Rauch & Lang Cars are built for people of unquestioned taste and sound judgment—therefore, the appearance and performance of these electrics must not be left open to even the slightest criticism. The acknowledged high standard of owners has stamped it the “Car of Social Prestig Any Rauch & Lang agent will gladly demonstrate. THE RAUCH & LANG CARRIAGE CO. fo Cleveland 2386 West Twenty-Fifth Street cotta comicbookseem