Life, 1916-07-20 · page 5 of 44
Life — July 20, 1916 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Chalmers automobile advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It depicts a 1917 Chalmers motorcar priced at $1,280 in Detroit, shown in a humorous illustration of well-dressed passengers in an open-air vehicle. The accompanying text uses satire to market the car by referencing World War I: it suggests buyers of "closed cars of superior design" should purchase Chalmers instead, implying they could use savings to buy government war bonds. The ad jokes about the car's performance (3,400 r.p.m.) and attempts to create aspirational appeal through elegant passengers and sophisticated styling. The text includes Canadian pricing and mentions the car comes in two wheelbase sizes. This is commercial advertising using patriotic and humorous appeals rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| many 3400 r.p.m. Chalmers; Price, $1280 Detroit Remember these 1917 Chalmers are built in two sizes of wheelbase: 115 inches and 122 inches. A phone call to the Chalmers merchant in your city or a note direct to us for the New Book will rest your conscience. Ask your dealer about Chalmers service inspection coupons, gone by for closed cars of superior design will seek the new Chalmers and put away many a good dollar in Government bonds For Chalmers this year breaks down the old tradition of paying ‘handsome price for a handsome car. Then, there'll be the annual descent on the Chalmers dealers —each year growing more and more—of those who have had their frst fing with a car down the ladder in price. Perhaps one ride ina new Chalmers will lure them. Perhaps the snap, the action, the spunk will make them say good-by to Old Betsy. For the $400 r. p. m. is an uncanny thing. $400 revolutions per minute in the crankshaft of her engine have enrolled 26,000 Persons in the great Chalmers family since December 1. , 3400 r.p.m. is the technical way of saying performance plus. It's one of the many good things Chalmers has done for the automobile. negotiable at all Chalmers dealers everywhere. This system is a most important consideration in buying your car. We have mentioned the United States prices. Canada are as follows: Seven-Passenger Touring Car, $177 i The prices in 5 Five-Passenger Touring Car, $1475 5 Two-Passenger Roadster, $1475 Three-Passenger Cabriolet, $1900 817 Six-Passenger Sedan, = $27! Seven-Passenger Limousine, $3.75 Chalmers Motor Company . - Detroit comicbooks.com