Life, 1921-06-23 · page 29 of 36
Life — June 23, 1921 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It features a cameo portrait of **the Marquis de Lafayette**, the French Revolutionary War general and American ally. Lafayette Motors Company uses his likeness as their radiator emblem—a seal of quality and prestige. The ad argues that owners of fine cars recognize this cameo as symbolizing "unmatched worth and constant satisfaction," leveraging Lafayette's historical reputation for honor and excellence to market their automobiles. The company was based in Mars Hill, Indianapolis. This represents early 20th-century advertising strategy: associating mass-produced consumer goods with historical prestige and Old World craftsmanship to appeal to aspirational middle-class buyers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LAFAYETTE This cameo, which is mounted on the radiator of te Be every LaFayetTE, is the seal we place upon our work ft” fe in witness that we have held fast to our purpose: to "t yor produce with honest metal and unhurried skill the Stor very finest car we could. And the car’s deportment plot- p in the service of its owners has so impressed motorists qa who have been schooled in long association with wil fine cars, that they see in the cameo a symbol Record of unmatched worth and constant satisfaction. LAFAYETTE MOTORS COMPANY at ars Hill \notwnarous gat _) comicbooks.com