Life, 1917-03-08 · page 31 of 42
Life — March 8, 1917 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **luxury automobile advertisement**, not political satire. The Winton Company markets their "Winton Six" car by appealing to individualism and distinction. The ad quotes Coventry Patmore (a 19th-century poet) to argue that humans naturally reject uniformity and crave individual expression. The message: buying a custom Winton car satisfies this deep human need for distinction rather than conforming to mass production. The illustration at top shows a cartoon car with exaggerated, whimsical passengers—likely meant to convey personality and uniqueness rather than mock anyone specifically. **Historical context**: This reflects the 1920s transition in automobile marketing. Early cars were marketed as practical machines; by this era, manufacturers began emphasizing personal customization and status. The ad's philosophy—that individuality is inherent ("in the blood")—is typical luxury-brand positioning of the period. The pricing ($2,685–$4,750) indicates this was a high-end vehicle aimed at affluent consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
. 407 WINTON Distinction in Your Own Car If you give man his choice, he will reject the commonplace and select the distinctive every time. It’s in the blood. said long ago: ‘“The communion of men upon earth abhors identity (similarity) more than nature does a vacuum. Noth- ing so shocks and repels the living soul as a row of exactly similar things, whether it consists of modern houses or of modern people, and nothing so delights and edifies as distinction.” CF sit iene PATMORE, who wrote wisely of human life, And what more delightful possession can one have than a distinc- tively individual motor car—a car designed precisely to your per- sonal taste, and embodying your own ideals of what a genuinely Open Cars good car should be? You can make your wishes come true by order- $2685 to $3500 ing a Winton Six. Our artists are at your service, keen to create for Closed Cars your ownership an exceptional, distinctive, delightful private vehicle. $3000 to $4750 Let us talk it over with you. Simply telephone or drop usa line today. The Winton Company 92 Berea Road, Cleveland, Ohio comicbooks.com