Life, 1913-03-27 · page 37 of 60
Life — March 27, 1913 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page compares a woman with an unfashionable parasol to a car with a shabby convertible top—both appearing incongruous with otherwise elegant appearances. The satire is purely commercial: just as a fine woman wouldn't pair herself with an ugly parasol, a quality automobile shouldn't have an inferior top. The ad addresses seven consumer concerns about car tops (cleaning, durability, waterproofing, longevity), promoting **Pantasote** brand material as superior to competitors. It emphasizes that Pantasote doesn't crack, dust, or leak—unlike cheap imitations. The Pierce-Arrow automobile is cited as proof of durability. The page includes a mail-in coupon offering a free book about top materials, a standard advertising tactic of the early automobile era (likely 1910s-1920s). This is commercial rhetoric disguised as consumer education, not social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Look at this awful Parasol and this Well-Dressed Woman You never see such a combination--- it’s “impossible” — Yes—if you consider style and value and comfort important. 2, What effect has a shabby Top on a car? It makes the whole car look shabby. A shabby Top is as H out of place on a fine car as a smeared and smutted parasol | is out of place with a modern Parisian costume. 3. How can a Top best be cleaned? | Most Top materials are veritable dust-traps—you simply | CAN'T get them clean. | The grease and oil and dust are actually | ground into the { fabric permanently. Pantacote is impervious to dust and | oil and grease so you wash your Pontacote Top with soap and water just as you wash the varnished y of your car. 4. What constitutes Top comfort? | A Top that is rainproof—one that won't leak and ruin hand- some gowns and hats. Pantacote insures inside comfort because it does not leak. (And you get outside style into | the bargain). 7 Important Auto Top Questions And yet how many miserable looking Tops It ought to be just as “impo. While here is the same automobile with a Top that's in keeping. UST be genuine —the only material that never looks ‘‘impossible”’ 5. Isn’t it apt to crack? No, genuine Pantacote Positively does not crack. The many imitations of are of such a nature that they generally do crack with age. So you must expect to hear some unjust claims in this respect from persons who can- not distinguish the imitations from the genuine Genuine Pantacote is crack-proof, dust-proof, heat-proof, rain-proof and snow-proof. 6. How long will a genuine Pantacote Top last? . Look at any old Pierce-Arrow car. pany has used genuine they started making Tops. They demand the best. The Pierce-Arrow Com- lacoté exclusively ever since That’s a big story in itself. 7. How about price? The price is no higher than other REPUTABLE Z materials and the COST is lower because t 7 4 Pantacote lasts longer. 7 The Greatest Book Ever Compiled on Auto Top Materials You ought to know everything pertaining vitally to the Automobile Top question. We have a remarkable FREE book containing more facts than you can ever get from the salesman. It gives you both sides of this one big question. If you intend buying a new car, or recovering an old one for selling purposes, write at yy” ” to Ti once for “‘ WHAT'S WHAT IN TOP MATERIALS.” IT'S FRE Address 2 uto Lop- 2 Value Book THE PANTASOTE COMPANY 2 ‘vurasssore conan, No. 57 Bowling Green Building ae Ne. 57 Bowing Grose Mien New Tack NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK aor I want the best values for my ©” money. Send me any FACTS you 7” can about different Top materials— 7 send mea copy of book “What's What.” comicbooks.com