Life, 1928-12-14 · page 31 of 48
Life — December 14, 1928 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satire—it's a **full-page advertisement** for Fleetwood luxury car bodies, a subsidiary of General Motors. The ad promotes custom-built automobile bodies for high-end Cadillac and La Salle vehicles. It positions Fleetwood as the heir to "Eighteenth Century artisans" and "Early American coachcraft," emphasizing handcrafted quality, individual taste, and luxury appointments. The rhetoric appeals to wealthy buyers seeking exclusivity and personal expression through their vehicles. The decorative borders and classical typography reflect the magazine's *Life* editorial aesthetic, lending prestige. The ad references their showroom at "10 East 57th Street, New York," indicating an upscale Manhattan location. **For modern readers:** This represents pre-Depression era aspirational marketing to the wealthy elite, before mass production became standard. The emphasis on "individuality" and "craftsmanship" ironically contrasts with the fact that these were still mass-produced General Motors products—just expensive ones.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE NEW FLEETWOODS The Ultimate in Larurious Qacherafe. Ei those who desire a motor car expressing their own tastes and individ- uality, the Fleetwood Body Corporation has collaborated with the Cadillac Motor Car Company in interpreting in the new Fleetwood-Cadillacs and Fleetwood-I.a Salles the very ultimate in luxurious coachcraft. Style— “the invariable mark of any master,” individuality of appeal and per- . fect craftsmanship, these have long constituted an ideal and a tradition with Fleetwood. They are in very fact symbolized by the name Fleetwood. Three generations of coach-crafters passed this tdeal and this tradition to the present Fleetwood Body Corporation which has, since, uninterruptedly specialized in the production of custom-built bodies precisely interpreting owners’ peculiar artistic perception and preference. As in the days of Early American coachcraft, Fleetwood's successors to those Eighteenth Century artisans with their Old World traditions of craftsmanship, still produce the highest quality work, today specifically destined for those fields of motoring service where style factors—beauty, charm of contour, perfection of proportions, luxurious appointment—are paramount. Representative creations of this famous line are now avatlable in twenty-two exquisite models, Fleetwood designed and Fleetwood built, and can be had only in the new Cadillacs and La Salles. Varying body types and styles are on display in the Cadillac-La Salle showrooms of the more important centers throughout the country, and atour Salon and Studios, 10 East 57th Street, New York. FLEETWOOD BODY CORPORATION UNIT OF FISHER BODY CORPORATION * DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS comicbooks.com