Life — June 18, 1914 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for the Locomotile automobile, appearing in *Life* magazine (page 1098). The illustration shows two well-dressed men with a luxury car, promoting "The New Locomotile" with "105 Refinements." The ad emphasizes technological innovations like left-hand drive, electrically locking doors, center control, and four-speed transmission—features that would have been cutting-edge novelties for early 1900s automobiles. The text uses hyperbolic marketing language ("Only left drive only," "Pure stream line") to position Locomotile as a premium, stylish vehicle for wealthy Americans. The mention of "fashionable builders of Paris and New York" appeals to upper-class sensibilities. This represents period automobile advertising rather than satirical content.