Life, 1914-02-05 · page 27 of 44
Life — February 5, 1914 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **car advertisement**, not political satire. The Jeffery automobile company is marketing their vehicle to both men and women by appealing to different values. The ad uses a gendered sales pitch typical of early 20th-century advertising: the woman (shown in fashionable dress on the left) is attracted to the car's elegant European-inspired design and comfort, while the man appreciates that it offers luxury features at a moderate price—high quality without the expense of traditional luxury cars. The humor/appeal lies in the premise that she doesn't care about "technical points" but appreciates style, while he values the practical economics. The Jeffery promises to bridge this gap: sophisticated appearance with affordability. This reflects pre-1920s attitudes about gender (women as style-conscious, men as practical) while marketing the car as a democratic luxury—accessible to the middle class rather than only the wealthy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
They’re both delighted with the Jeffery She knows that the Jeffery has the right look. Tech- nical points don’t interest her, but a beautiful body design does. of luxury. Certain things are associated in her mind with the smartest looking cars she has seen abroad. She recognizes them again in the Jeffery. The Rothschild body design is new, different. It has been adapted with great success from the fa- vored model at the last Paris show. She must have real comfort—high priced cars have taught her to expect it. She gets it in the Jeffery—comfort of the most luxurious kind. These are the things that count with her; they've never been seen before in a moderate price car. He is even more pleased. He knows that at last he owns a car that combines high grade quality with economy. His standard of requirements kept him in the big car class—high cost, expensive upkeep. Now he has all the essentials of these big high-priced cars without con- stant drag on his pocket-book. The high speed, high efficiency bloc-type motor And so do elegance of finish and a general air used in the Jeffery Fou according to the latest European ide; It provides for a lighter frame, less oil, less gasoline, less tire wear. Yet any mechanical expert knows that nothing but the highest grade materials are used throughout in the Jeffery Four. Here is a brief survey of some of the things that sell the Jeffery to the former buyer of high price cars: Imported annular ball bearings ; Spicer universal joints; Vanadium steel in rear axle drive shafts and front starting and lighting (the most expensive made) ; Daimler flexible leather coupling between clutch and transmission ; full floating type rear axle; these are all features of the highest grade. Jeffery prices: Five passenger Four, $1550; Two passenger Fi passenger Six, $2250; Six, $2250. The Thomas B. Jeffery Company Main Office and Works, Kenosha, Wisconsin comicbooks.com