Life, 1916-10-12 · page 44 of 44
Life — October 12, 1916 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **luxury car advertisement**, not political satire. The page features an elaborate illustration of an elegantly dressed woman in ornate, flowing garments holding a small dog, positioned atop decorative swirls suggesting motion and opulence. The ad promotes the **Pierce-Arrow Motor Car**, a high-end automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York. The accompanying text defines "luxury" philosophically—not merely comfort or beauty, but refinement in engineering details like smooth acceleration, cushioned seating angles, and quiet operation. The imagery appeals to wealthy 1916 readers by associating the car with feminine elegance, sophistication, and sensuality. The woman's elaborate costume and jewels, combined with her graceful pose, convey status and refinement to position Pierce-Arrow as a luxury brand for the affluent. This is commercial messaging, not commentary on contemporary political or social issues.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
October 12, 1916 Luxury is something more than comfort, something more than beauty and something more than style. It is even something more than a combination of all three. Ik lies not only in making a cushion soft; it includes arrang- ing that cushion’ at angles and heights to suit the posi tion of the body. It means more than an engine which ceaselessly propels the car; it conceives an engine which starts and stops with so little friction that one glides from motion to rest, or from rest to motion. Luxury ts sensvousness, softness, silence. The numerous rehnements in the Picrce-Arrow Car give it an effect of opulence, a justifable opulence bu upon and around a dependable and hard-headed pic of machinery. THE PIERCE- ARROW MOTOR CAR CO- BUFFALO NY