Life — October 28, 1915 — page 39: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **luxury car advertisement**, not satire. The page promotes the Ohio Electric automobile by positioning it as a premium product for discerning buyers who demand perfection. The ad uses classical art references—comparing the car's craftsmanship to Raphael's Madonna painting and Michelangelo's sculpture—to justify its high price. The photograph shows a well-dressed woman inside the vehicle, emphasizing elegance and comfort. The key pitch: this car isn't for budget-conscious consumers ("those who will have nothing else"), but for wealthy individuals willing to pay premium prices for superior quality. The rhetoric explicitly rejects cost-cutting, arguing that perfection cannot be rushed or cheapened. This reflects early 1900s marketing strategy, when electric cars were luxury items marketed to the affluent, before gasoline vehicles dominated the market.