Life, 1916-12-07 · page 93 of 94
Life — December 7, 1916 — page 93: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Pierce-Arrow automobile advertisement**, not political satire. The page appears in *Life* magazine's Christmas issue and promotes the Pierce-Arrow motor car through an elegant illustration of a woman in classical dress holding what appears to be mechanical components or a wrench. The "Science" heading frames the advertisement's central claim: Pierce-Arrow vehicles represent rigorous engineering excellence. The text emphasizes scientific testing at every stage—each material, mechanical principle, and assembled unit undergoes expert scrutiny. The company compares car manufacturing to major infrastructure projects (suspension bridges, tunnels, lighthouses), elevating automobiles to monuments of precision engineering. The classical female figure symbolizes refinement and quality, a common advertising trope of the era associating luxury goods with beauty and sophistication. This Christmas-season placement targets affluent readers as aspirational holiday gift-giving. The advertisement makes no political or satirical statement; it's straightforward marketing positioning Pierce-Arrow as the scientifically superior choice for discerning buyers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-CHRISTMAS LIFE- Every piéce of metal, or wood, or leather, or fabric, that is built into. the Pierce-Arrow Car has its separate scicnufic test, according to the use to which it is put. Every mechanical principle embodying friction, torque, compression, tension, deflection, vibration, elasticity, crystallization, has behind it exhaustive calcula- tions to apply the principle involved or to climinate the drawback. The building of a motor car such as the Pierce-Arrow is a problem in mechanics, as much as the construction of a suspension bridge, or a tunnel, or a lighthouse, o an office building. Every single part in a Picrce-Arrow Car has had the attention of some expert—first, as a unit, and second, in its relation to all other parts. Each assembled unit, such as engine, transmission and rear axle, is tested for power developed and quietness of operation before being placed in the chassis. The chassis is run on the road at least 100 mules before being passed upon by the final expert tester. THE PIERCE-ARROW MOTOR CAR COMPANY © Burrato N Y comicbooks.com