Life — September 12, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is **not a political cartoon or satire** — it is a straightforward advertisement for the Pierce-Arrow automobile, published in *Life* magazine. The image shows a detailed technical drawing of a Pierce-Arrow touring car with specifications: 6-cylinder, 48 horsepower, 142-inch wheelbase, seating five to seven passengers with retractable auxiliary seats. The text emphasizes the car's practical virtues: superior initial service, low maintenance costs, and long-term reliability — positioning it as "the car of ultimate economy." This represents early 20th-century automobile advertising in a prestigious publication, targeting affluent readers. Pierce-Arrow was a genuine luxury marque based in Buffalo, New York. The ad contains no satirical elements or social commentary.