Life, 1913-10-02 · page 48 of 48
Life — October 2, 1913 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **automobile advertisement**, not political satire. The page from *Life* magazine (October 2, 1913) promotes the Stevens-Duryea motorcar, claiming "Nearly a Quarter-Century of Leadership" in the luxury vehicle market. The ad depicts a well-dressed family in an elegant sedan, positioned against a scenic mountain landscape with snow-capped peaks. The imagery emphasizes **social status and refined taste**—suggesting that owning a Stevens-Duryea conveys "social distinction" and "artistic" elegance. The tagline describes the car as representing "style, beauty, dignity and aristocratic luxuriousness," targeting wealthy Americans who viewed automobiles as status symbols. The company was based in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. This reflects the early automotive era when cars were luxury goods for the affluent, not mass-market transportation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
October 2, 1913 early a Quarter-Century of Leadership SIGH social distinction is artistically ex- pressed in the style, beauty, dignity band ari ‘atic luxuriousness of the Stevens-Duryea C Va wees comicbooks.com