Life, 1915-06-03 · page 2 of 52
Life — June 3, 1915 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon** but rather a **full-page advertisement** for the White Motor Company's "White" automobile, appearing in *Life* magazine. The ad promotes the White car as a luxury vehicle with refined design, particularly highlighting its "center cowl" design element described as a "ripple in the streamline." The advertisement emphasizes that the White's beauty and exclusivity make custom-ordered bodies unnecessary—essentially claiming the standard model achieves sufficient aesthetic perfection. The imagery shows well-dressed passengers enjoying the vehicle, appealing to aspirational consumers. The ad was placed during the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, suggesting upscale targeting. This represents early automotive advertising's focus on design, luxury, and status rather than mechanical specifications.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
/—the car which makes made-to-order bodies unnecessary In all the years of motoring nothing ever awakened such a volume of pleased approval as the latest White. The distinction, the quiet refinement accomplished in the center cowl, which absorbs the always awkward back of the front seat into a line of beauty—a “ripple in the streamline”—naturally received the most comment at first. But now it is realized that the latest White removes all further need of specifying a custom-made body. The White was designed in recognition of the artistic desire of car users, and by its very beauty and exclusiveness it at once established the correct mode. White leadership is a principle It is natural that the established sterling worth of White Motor Cars from the engineering and mechanical standpoint should thus be matched by the incompar- able beauty and luxury of the finally-perfect streamline body designs. Grace of appearance is equaled by grace of performance—The White engine and mechanical features operating so harmoni- ously that the gentlest movement or the swiftest speed answer the will of the driver quietly and surely. THE WHITE AGENCY NEAREST YOU WILL ARRANGE FOR YOUR DEMONSTRATION, OR IF YOU WRITE US WE WILL BE GLAD TO MAKE THE ARRANGEMENT FOR YOU THE WHITE COMPANY, Cleveland Manutacturers of Gasoline Motor Cars, Motor Trucks and Taxicabs Exhibiting at Transportation Building, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco comicbooks.com