Life — January 1, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is not a satirical cartoon page but rather **a December advertisement** from *Life* magazine for Disteel Wheels, manufactured by the Detroit Pressed Steel Company. The page features photographs of approximately 16 different automobile models from the early 1920s era (Premier, Pierce-Arrow, Velie, Lexington, Westcott, Winton, Apperson, Kissel, Elcar, Moon, National, Case, King, and McFarlan). A large wheel image dominates the center, emphasizing that these competing car manufacturers all used Disteel Wheels as either optional or standard equipment. This is essentially a B2B advertisement celebrating industry standardization—demonstrating that the wheel supplier's product was trusted across numerous automobile brands, which would have reassured consumers of quality and compatibility.