Life — October 21, 1915 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is a Packard automobile advertisement, not political satire or a cartoon. It appears in Life magazine and promotes the Packard Twin-Six motor car. The ad emphasizes that the Packard name represents "quality" and claims this wasn't accidental but "planned from the first." The company justifies a price increase—they've raised prices for the 1-35 model (wheelbase 135 inches, $3,150) and 1-25 model (wheelbase 125 inches, $2,750)—by citing rising material costs for leather, aluminum, and steel. The ad asserts Packard maintains quality standards established over sixteen years, positioning the price hike as necessary rather than exploitative. The subheading "Ask the man who owns one" was apparently Packard's actual slogan.