Life, 1918-04-25 · page 37 of 40
Life — April 25, 1918 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car-top advertisement**, not political satire. The Pantasote Company promotes their automobile convertible-top material through aspirational imagery rather than humor or social criticism. The "cartoon" element is the romanticized illustration: a luxurious motor car driving down a palm-lined avenue (evoking Florida or Southern resort destinations), with elegantly dressed passengers. The visual appeals to wealthy consumers who winter in fashionable resorts. The satirical *implication*—typical of 1920s advertising—is subtle: it suggests that Pantasote tops are used by elite automobile manufacturers (Pierce-Arrow, Cadillac, Mercer, etc.), thereby positioning the material as a luxury product. The text emphasizes durability in both tropical and harsh northern climates, addressing practical concerns while maintaining the aspirational tone. There's no obvious political target or recognizable caricature. This represents consumer advertising dressed up in aesthetic language to appeal to affluent 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.
‘Down-the-avenue-of:palms- é where singing Birds cho the humming molor and where the tropic sun is tempered Cy soft sea breeses— there flaws a mighty army of mators drafted afnost exclusively from the beau mande, Tike type of mater car that winters in Southern climes and fashionable resarts generally carries a top of— Genuine Tis top material withstands the fiercely Beating rays of tropical suns us staunchly as it docs Ure frost, efect and sna of northern winters. Pantasate, Me most expensive top material, is associated ith and used an the best Motor Cars. PIERCE-ARROW MERCER CADILLAC CHANDLER, LOCOMOBILE HUDSON REO-SIX PREMIER SCRIPPS BOOTH = CHALMERS — COLUMBIA MARMON WHITE COLE WESTCOTT The Pantasote Company 1703 Bowling Green Building New York tops repre comicbooks.com