Life, 1918-04-25 · page 39 of 40
Life — April 25, 1918 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It advertises the Templar, a small automobile manufactured by the Templar Motors Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. The page uses decorative framing and typography typical of early 20th-century luxury advertising. The selling points emphasize that the Templar combines quality materials with moderate size and price—positioning it as an "economical" alternative to larger, more expensive "super-quality cars." The illustration shows a side-view of the vehicle with prominent spoked wheels, characteristic of 1920s automotive design. The ad highlights the car's own "Vitalic Top-Valve Motor" as a key feature. **For modern readers:** This represents early automotive marketing when small cars were still novel luxuries. The emphasis on being "both fine enough and small enough to be genuinely economical" suggests the target market was affluent but price-conscious buyers seeking quality in a compact package—a positioning concept that persists in automotive marketing today.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Superfine Small Car AHE car throughout is built of the best materials that can be had for money. It differs from other super-quality cars in that it is of moderate s It is the only car built that is doth fine enough and small enough to be genuinely economical. eC. And the motor—our own—is ex- ceptionally lively and powerful. We want to hear from prospective purchasers—also from prospective dealers. Write to us. Specifications Templar Top-Valve Mot —Hositively \ 2200 Halsted St., Lakewood, J Cleveland, Ohio aR BY Vitalic Top-Valve Motor comicbooks.com