Life, 1916-12-28 · page 39 of 41
Life — December 28, 1916 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **motor car advertisement**, not satire. The page promotes the Jeffery Sedan, manufactured by Nash Motors Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The circular illustration shows two well-dressed passengers (a woman and man) seated comfortably inside an enclosed sedan, visible through windows. The image emphasizes the vehicle's key selling point: **protection from harsh weather** — a major advancement in early automotive design. The advertisement's appeal targets the emerging middle class: it positions the enclosed sedan as formerly "the luxury of the few" but now accessible to "the many" through mass production and "modest cost" pricing ($1,260–$1,630). The text emphasizes comfort features—leather upholstery, large French plate windows, removable top—that would have been genuinely novel and desirable to 1920s consumers transitioning from open carriages and early roadsters. This reflects the historical moment when enclosed cars became standard, transforming automobiles from seasonal luxury into year-round practical transportation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Manufacturers CThe Modern Sedan No longer does harsh weather enter the equa- tion of motor travel. Supreme among enclosed carriages, the luxurious, year-round Jeffery Sedan belittles the elements. - Its passengers ride in sheltered warmth and easy comfort. Sullen gusts of Winter wind, sheeting rain or swirls of sleet and snow cannot pierce this cozy car. The Jeffery Sedan’s path of travel is pleasant every day. Once the luxury of the few, this richly fin- SIXES: Sedan, $1630; Touring, $1465; Roadster, $1435. of Jeffery Motor Cars and ished, modern Sedan now invites the many. Its modest cost is one of the desirable issues of greater production. Long-grain leather upholstery and. extra large windows of finest French plate will delight; while dignity of design and a royal finish that endures, will make you ever proud of this luxurious carriage. Designed for both the Jeffery Four and Six, with top removable—converted readily into an open touring car. FOURS: Sedan, $1260; Touring, $1095. F. O. B. Kenosha, THE NASH MOTORS COMPANY, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, U. S. A. Famous Jeffery Quad Trucks, including the