Life, 1916-10-12 · page 31 of 44
Life — October 12, 1916 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Simplex automobile (Crane Model), a luxury chassis priced at $6,000—a substantial sum in the early 1900s. The decorative illustration above the car depicts classical or mythological figures, likely suggesting elegance and sophistication to appeal to wealthy buyers. The ad emphasizes that purchasers can customize their vehicle's body type through the manufacturer's body department, positioning this as a premium feature for discerning customers with individual taste. The ornate decorative border reinforces the luxury market positioning. This appears in *Life* magazine, which during this era mixed satirical content with upscale advertising targeting educated, affluent readers—the demographic most likely to afford a $6,000 automobile.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ING) | OSS | | LZ, a BETIS GOSEECSSOSSCOCRSOSSOTSES: 0! 59000) ray ys Oo} 0} | Hel 0) {fo 9} 19} 3) 9) 9} 9} {fo | fet) 9) 19] 9 ho) \fe of) 9) 0} 9) 19) \fe fo \f9) Ho}! H | FO) 0) lo 0} aR 91) 9) | fo! 9) THIS IS A SIMPLEX (CRANE MODEL) CHASSIS THE EXPERT ADVICE OF OUR BODY DEPART - MENT IS AVAILABLE TO YOU THAT YOUR INDIVIDUAL TASTE AND INCLINATION MAY BE EXERCISED AS TO BODY TYPE AND BUILDER 6 CYLINDER 46 H - P- CHASSIS $6.000 Je Pe Avent 0 teh Set cwecnc comicbooks.com >