Life — December 20, 1923 — page 29: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **Fisher Body Corporation advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The page's title "Fish Bodies" is a visual pun—the ad features two elegantly dressed women examining a car, playing on the double meaning of "body" (automobile body vs. human body). The joke targets luxury car buyers: Fisher Body was marketing their automobile bodies as comparable to fine fashion and craftsmanship. The ad suggests that owning a Fisher-bodied car signals sophistication and taste to "discriminating" owners—essentially selling status and beauty alongside engineering. The ornate decorative border and fine photography underscore the luxury positioning. This represents early 1900s automotive marketing that equated cars with high fashion and social distinction.