Life, 1916-05-25 · page 29 of 40
Life — May 25, 1916 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not satire or political cartoon. It promotes the Studebaker automobile by leveraging California's 1915 vehicle registration data as endorsement. The "joke" or persuasive angle: California—a state with excellent roads and year-round driving weather—supposedly validates cars through actual performance rather than theory. Since Californians could test cars constantly, their preference for Studebaker (15,718 registrations, significantly outselling competitors) proves the vehicle's superiority. The advertisement appeals to authority by comparing California's judgment to Detroit's manufacturing expertise, arguing that combined knowledge endorses Studebaker. The logic: if practical users in ideal conditions prefer this car, shouldn't buyers elsewhere trust that preference? The modest satire lies in treating state vehicle registration statistics as definitive consumer judgment—personifying California as a rational judge whose "opinion is Authoritative." The early automobile industry heavily relied on such comparative sales figures for credibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What California Thinks of Studebaker OR the man whois going to buy a car, whether he lives in San Francisco or in Minneapolis or New Orleans or Boston or anywhere in the entire country, there is no surer and more trustworthy opinion to be had than that expressed by the State of California. Forty Horse Power 7 Passenger Four In the year 1915, the official registration of the four leading cars for the State of California showed: Ast — Studebaker: 15,718 cars; 2nd — 12,823 cars; 3rd— 12,595 cars: 4th—One half as many as Studebaker, Such was California's judgment ot cars selling at over $500. ~ =! California’s Opinion is Authoritative Just as Detroit, the Home of Automobiles, Picks Studebaker as its favorite, so California, the State of wonderful roads and weather, has given its overwhelming judgment in favor of Studebaker, ‘it, the center of the motor industry— cing three-fourths of the country’s cars— People know cars from the technical and manu- facturing sides. In California, with mere miles of good roads per capita than any other State (6 of the favorite tours alone covering 4710 miles) and climate that permits of almost dally use of a car from one year's end to another— people know cars from performance, The city that knows how cars are BUILT—and the State that knows how cars PERFORM ~both make Studebaker their preference. In California the figures are ou list above, Picture what such su Then think—can any ian who bu: decisive judgment in his choice? See California prefers! Studebaker offers a complete line of high-grade cars from to $2500, Write for handsomely illustrated catalog picturing cars and giving complete list of prices -f 0. b. Detroit. STUDEBAKER Detroit, Mich. South Bend, Ind, Walkerville, Ont. Address oft Correspondence to Detroit More than 235,000, Studebaker Cars produced and sold, comicbooks.com