Life, 1928-03-08 · page 3 of 43
Life — March 8, 1928 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **car advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Essex Super-Six automobile, marketed as offering superior "performance, comfort, beauty and reliability" at an attractive price point. The upper illustration depicts classical Greek or Roman architecture—likely meant to evoke timeless values and permanence. This visual metaphor suggests that Essex automobiles represent enduring quality and established craftsmanship. The ad emphasizes the manufacturer's long history ("one of the oldest and strongest automobile manufacturers") and robust dealer network as reasons for consumer confidence. The pricing information (Sedan $795, Coupe $745, Coach $735) indicates this was positioned as an affordable, value-oriented vehicle for middle-class buyers—a significant market segment in the 1920s automobile industry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Essex Values Accumulate In the New Essex Super-Six you get the finest performance, comfort, beauty and reliability Essex ever offered—far excelling its predecessor which outsold any “Six” at or near the price by an overwhelming margin. But, currently with the development of this finer car, have been built important sup- porting values in the great and permanent organization which distributes and services your Essex car. Back of this Essex you buy, stands one of the oldest and strongest automobile manufac- turers, whose 19 years of constant growth reflect its alert leadership; and a dealer organization whose pride it is to make Essex service as outstanding as the value of the car itself. ESSEX SEDAN (4-Door) $795; Coupe $745 (Rumble Seat $30 Extra); Coach $735 f. o. b. Detroit, plus war excise tax ESSEX SIX SUPER comicbooks.com