Life, 1913-11-20 · page 44 of 44
Life — November 20, 1913 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It promotes Baker Electric automobiles, featuring an illustration of a luxury car positioned against an ornate institutional building (possibly a courthouse or civic structure). The ad emphasizes luxury and exclusivity by name-dropping **Paul Poiret**, a renowned French fashion designer of the early 20th century, to lend prestige to the vehicle's interior design. The marketing strategy targets "the discriminating woman," appealing to wealthy female consumers through associations with high fashion, refined aesthetics ("old gold, wine color"), and European sophistication. There is no satire or political commentary visible. This is straightforward luxury marketing leveraging celebrity designer association—a common advertising technique that remains familiar today.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The surpassing individuality of the new Baker Electric Coupe and the new Double Drive Worm Gear Brougham is typified in the offer of special interiors created by the eminent French designer, M. PAUL POIRET. In the style of which he is the accepted master, Poiret has produced a variety of exquisite effects in self-toned harmonies of old gold, wine color and shimmering greys, entirely unique in motor car interiors, which will appeal to the discriminating woman as unusually distinctive. THE BAKER MOTOR VEHICLE COMPANY =| a A