Life, 1916-07-27 · page 25 of 32
Life — July 27, 1916 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **automobile advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Mitchell mid-year model ($1,325, made in Racine, Wisconsin) to a 1910s-era audience. The page's rhetorical strategy targets "big men" and practical businessmen—bankers, engineers, efficiency experts—rather than dreamers or aesthetes. The phrase "No Dreamer's Car" establishes the pitch: this is a serious, utilitarian vehicle for serious men who value reliability and engineering over frivolous features. The advertisement emphasizes: - Engineering credibility (John W. Bate, the designer) - Durability (cars averaging 164,000+ miles) - Practical features (26 extras included) - Efficiency and strength over flashiness The illustration shows the car in cross-section with various social types examining it—working-class and upper-class figures alike—suggesting broad appeal despite the "serious men" marketing language. This is **period advertising strategy**: appeal to masculine rationality and professional identity rather than luxury or style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
73 New Conceptions 26 Extra Features silgllde Jee. MID-YEAR $1325 Racine ce b] 99 No Dreamer’s Car How Big Men Regard This Bate-Built Mitchell A man who has sold a hundred thousand cars said, the other day, of this Mid-Year Mitchell— “That is no dreamer’s car.” Perh: no man has better voiced the opinion of the big men of Motor- dom. Mr. Bate’s Compeers John W. Bate, our efficiency engi- neer, prizes most the approval of com- peers. Dozens of engineers—men of nation-wide fame—have selected the Mitchell as their personal car. Our dealer in your town has a list of them. Every day shows that most of our output is being sold to leading men. For instance, five bankers in Chicago bought Mitchells in one week. New York, the home of the critical, can never get cars enough. You will find it so in your town. The practical men—the men who deal in realiti are buying nearly all the Mitchells, Built for Able Men The Mitchell is built by an able man —a genius in efficiency. It comes from a mammoth model factory, built and equipped by him. It is the work of men he trained. The car itself is the 17th model, built under his ‘direction. It is the fruition of 13 years spent aiming at perfection. It is the result of 700 im- provements which he has engineered. So this Mid-Year Mitchell is a car that appeals to men who know. A Lifetime Car What appeals most to men is the Mitchell stability — its extra-strong parts, its big margins of safety. The car is nearly trouble-proof. Its endurance seems unlimited. Six Mitchells have averaged 164,372 miles each, or more than 30 years of ordi- nary service. Yet this New Mitchell, with its 127- inch wheelbase, weighs under 3000 pounds. The strength comes from drop forgings, from tough steel stamp- ings, and from a wealth of Chrome- $1325 | For 5-Passenger Touring Car or 3-Passenger Roadster 7-Passenger Touring Body $35 Extra High-speed economical Six—48 horsepower — I21-inch wheelbase. Complete equipment includ- ing 26 extra features. Vanadium. in the car. Many Surprises Then the Mitchell has many sur- prises. It 26 extras which most cars omit. Things like a power tire pump, cantilever springs, an extra-cost carburetor, an easy control. ere’s an engine primer at driver's hand, ight i au, a locked compartme . paid for with savings made iency. in ONE Car, you se touches. Our experts mine s models before completing this. You have never seen a car so handsome, so v date, so complete. It has a 22-coat finish. It has French- Anished upholstery—to-inch springs, In the rear it has Bate cantilever springs—s2 inches long—springs. which have never broken. For ease of driving it has ball- i There is hardly a casting the new i gear. These are but trifles, compared with eff ciency. But they show the infinite care which experts find in the Mitchell car ar Mitchell will delight all men—engineers and laymen. Men like effi- ciency, endurance, economy. Women like luxury, beauty and com AM will yield this car their highest admiration, And th who buy it will, in years to come, like it better than today + See it at your Mitchell showroom MITCHELL-LEWIS MOTOR CO. Racine, Wis., U. S. A. comicbooks.com