Life — January 17, 1930 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily a **Buick automobile advertisement**, not satirical content. The page shows a promotional layout for "The New Buick" from Buick Motor Company in Flint, Michigan. The small illustration at top depicts three well-dressed figures (appearing to represent affluent consumers) examining or discussing a vehicle—a common advertising trope suggesting sophisticated taste and endorsement. The advertisement's headline—"The logical choice of discriminating families"—appeals to middle-to-upper-class readers by suggesting Buick ownership signals refinement and good judgment. The text emphasizes the car's luxury features, Fisher bodies, and valve-in-head engine as justification for the premium pricing ($1,260-$2,070). This represents typical 1920s-era automotive advertising strategy: linking product consumption to social status and family values rather than purely mechanical specifications.