Life, 1917-01-25 · page 6 of 40
Life — January 25, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a **luxury automobile advertisement** for the Locomobile Company of America, published in Life magazine (page 126). The ad uses ornate Art Nouveau framing and classical imagery (cherubs, deer, decorative urns) to position the Locomobile as a high-end product. The text emphasizes exclusivity and craftsmanship: for every Locomobile built, thousands of ordinary cars are manufactured elsewhere. The pricing ($4,700–$9,700 for custom coach work) signals this was a vehicle for the wealthy elite. The decorative style and messaging reflect early 20th-century marketing strategies that equated luxury automobiles with fine art and classical refinement, appealing to aspirational wealthy readers of Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SS a ee ee tt ee ame ems Rec eee x FOR EVERY ONE THAT IS BUILT THOUSANDS OF OTHER CARS ARE MANUFACTURED THE ENERGY AND SKILL EXPENDED ON A SINGLE LOCOMOBILE WOULD MAKE TWENTY CARS OF THE USUAL SORT THE CHASSIS WITH LOCOMOBILE COACH WORK $4700 TO $7100 WITH COACH WORK DESIGNED AND BUILT TO ORDER FROM ABOUT $5700 TO $9700 SSeS SSS eS SSS toe et Se LoS SSS te Se ete comicbooks.com