Life, 1927-05-12 · page 2 of 43
Life — May 12, 1927 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Chrysler advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It promotes the Imperial "80" automobile model with styling that evokes luxury and exotic travel. The advertisement uses an orientalist fantasy image: a convertible car parked before a large tent structure with Asian-inspired architecture, while a woman in period dress stands in the tent doorway. The styling suggests adventure in distant lands—a common advertising trope of the era. The text emphasizes the car's performance (92 horsepower, 80+ mph capability) and luxury positioning, listing eight body styles priced from $2,495 to $3,595. It's aimed at affluent buyers seeking prestige and speed. This reflects 1920s-30s consumer culture and how American luxury goods were marketed through aspirational imagery of travel and exoticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
So and more luxurious miles per hour, 92 horse- power instanlly responsive and obedient to your slightest driving requirement, distinguished and well-bred in appearance and bearing—these are some of the very obvious reasons why the Imperial “80” is being regarded everywhere as the logical successor to the finest car of yesterday. Eight body styles, priced from £2495 lo #3595, f. o. b. Detroit, subject to current Federal excise taz. (Shrys er & g mperial 8 O comicbooks.com ¢