Life, 1916-01-27 · page 33 of 44
Life — January 27, 1916 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It appears from an early 20th-century *Life* magazine promoting the new Studebaker Series 17. The ad's rhetoric frames automobile ownership within contemporary values: "practical luxury" represents modern American ideals—combining comfort with restraint and "shrewd American common sense." The car is positioned as embodying American virtues: "beautiful without ostentation, powerful without surplusage." The illustration shows well-dressed figures (a family or social group) in the open-air automobile, depicting aspirational middle-class leisure and mobility. The $845 price point is presented as remarkably affordable given the car's quality—a claim supported by boasting "207,000 Studebaker Cars now in use," suggesting proven reliability and value. This reflects the era's optimism about automobiles as democratic luxury goods, not merely wealthy indulgences. The "GOLDEN Chassis" designation emphasizes premium construction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
=P ithe HARARE LLAMAS TTT ° Studebaker HE keynote of the vivid life of today is practical luxury —not the silken self-indulgence of past and degenerate ages but the studied planning to get the utmost of com- fort and ease which life can bestow. Yet restraint must be served and shrewd American common sense withal. A true exemplar of this spirit, this New SERIES 17 Studebaker 4-cylinder ; Car stands as the embodiment of all that is finest and best among eries 17 American ideals—beautiful without ostentation, powerful without sur- plusage—breathing quality in every line that meets the eye and in the most exacting scrutiny of every part. oe In price this new Studebaker meets the commendable insistence that fall value should not mean excessive cost—eight hundred and forty-five dollars is surely moderate for such a car as this—and a price that only passe ) er greatly increased volume and efficient, highly organized facilities such as Studebaker's can make a FACT. i : 1 =}: 7 Address all correspondence to Detroit Four Cylinder Models ‘ii Half-Ton Commercial Cars ‘Touring Car, 7-passenger ~~ Panel DeliveryCar .. . . . $875 To Re 3-passe: see (825 [sndausitasdaters Spaseencer ss 850 __ Six Cylinder Models ¢ 875 Reudkt Spasenegr < : 1028 One-Ton Commercial Trucks sundau-Roadster, 3-pass a Open Express, complete . . , $1200 prep plomenpd 1600 Stake Body,complete . . . 1250 Limousine, 7-passenger + 2900, Bes, 16-pass.,full equipment . 1400 Canadian Prices Four Cylinder Models Six Cylinder Models Touring Car, 7-passenser . . $1165 Touring Car, 7-passenger Roadster, 3. et Roadster, 3:1 4 Lendau-Roadeter, passenger edau-Roadster F.0.B. Walkerville More than 207,000 Studebaker Cars now in use The Car of the GOLDEN Chassis comicbooks.com