Life, 1915-12-09 · page 35 of 48
Life — December 9, 1915 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**, but rather a **full-page advertisement** for the 1916 Studebaker automobile, published in *Life* magazine. The image shows a side-profile illustration of a Studebaker 4-cylinder touring car with passengers, positioned in an idyllic outdoor landscape. The advertisement's rhetorical strategy is to emphasize value: despite a $100 price reduction (from $985 to $885), the car features numerous upgrades—increased wheelbase, engine power, passenger capacity, tire size, and interior refinements. The central claim is that this represents "the BIGGEST 4-cylinder VALUE of the 1916 market." The ad lists specific technical improvements and boasts that over 200,000 Studebaker cars are "now in use," lending social proof to the product. This reflects early automotive advertising's emphasis on technical specifications and competitive positioning during a period when automobiles were becoming more accessible consumer goods for middle-class Americans.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
with IMPROVEMENTS In spite of the fact that the price has been reduced $100—from $985 to $885 —this Studebaker 4-cylinder car has been greatly increased in power, size and quality, and exhibits many notable improvements, such, for example as: —INCREASE to 112 inches in wheelbase (was 108 inches) —INCREASE to 3%-inch bore x S-inch stroke, Forty Horse Power Motor (was 3% x 5 inch.) —INCREASE to SEVEN-passenger capacity (was Five-passenger) —INCREASE to 34 x 4 Goodrich tires (was 33 x 4) —INCREASE to 25 body-finishing operations (was 20 operations) More than 200,000 —INCREASE in size of cooling system, depth of upholstery and many . other details; and Studebaker Cars now in use —use of the finest, hand-buffed, semi-glazed leather for the upholstery anda BETTER grade of materials everywhere else in the car that a change was made. Making it the BIGGEST 4-cylinder VALUE of the 1916 market! Four Cylinder Models Six Cylinder Models —the ONLY 7-passenger, 4-cylinder car with a 37-inch bore x S-inch stroke, FORTY Tourine Car, 7-paas, . $885 Touring Car, 7-pass, . $1050 Horse Power Motor that has ever been offered in America or Europe for less than Roadster, Spas B50 ikea Sn 1333 $1,000. In power, size and quality, this car has set a new standard for 4-cylinder an eu Roadster, 3paba 1188 | pom irene a a cars. In power and flexibility it equals most of the Sixes now on the market. OLE: Deret Limousine, 7 poss. And in VALUE, dollar for dollar, this Studebaker at $885 stands eupreme among the Fours of the year Canadian Prices F. Detroit as the ONLY car that has reduced its price $100, and yet accompanied the reduction with a GREAT and Car, 7. Canadian Prices general INCREASE in quality. See the car at your dealer's—have a demonstration—and KNOW for pik Roma tty is -pass. 1 Fourself how much every dollar of the price con buy in a Studebaker car, “Write at oace for 1010 Cetalog STUDEBAKER Detroit, Mic Seuth: Bend, [nal Walkerville; Ont. comicbooks.com