Objectionable Studebaker ad????

[Studebaker Wheel]

This ad for the Studebaker-Garford appeared in the September 1910 issue of Motor CarThe Antique Studebaker Review some years back but decided against it. In this era of heightened sensitivity (about almost everything) I thought better of it. Incidentally, no alterations in the ad appearing above were made by this writer.

Richard Quinn
Editor emeritus: Antique Studebaker Review

[Mark57]

Did not notice until your commentary drew my attention to the object in question... I wonder what it was actually suppossed to represent? A milepost perhaps?

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island Chapter
http://visdc.shawwebspace.ca/ </h5>

[Studebaker Wheel]

Well, my guess a gate post, but certainly an unusual one.

Richard Quinn
Editor emeritus: Antique Studebaker Review

[Mark57]

Indeed! [}]

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island Chapter
http://visdc.shawwebspace.ca/ </h5>

[avantilover]

It's not an issue to me, I once saw an Studebaker ad or article from Alabama I think in the '20s talking about the great Anglo-saxon race - I could have sworn there were Black people there at the time, obviously the atttitudes were different then?

John Clements
Avantilover, your South Australian Studebaker lover!!!
Lockleys South Australia

[Milaca]

It's not a very good gate post as it isn't perpendicular to the road, but rather diagonal. I think the artist quit halfway through because he was offered a more prominent job, to do structural design engineering for an alleged unsinkable luxury liner being built in England....[:0]


Brent's rootbeer racer.
MN iron ore...it does your body good.

[SuperHawk]

Yes, it "jumped" out at me, too. It's getting close to Halloween. Maybe it's just a mindset created by observing so much hoopla about the upcoming holiday, but my other immediate observation was that of Dracula's castle in the background. That lent a bit of uniformity to the entire presentation.

However, I did not consider it to be in bad taste until I read your words below. Then I started to think about it. Under normal conditions, it's probably OK, in my opinion. However, to those who may have recently lost a loved one, an obvious negative connection could be made. Hence, if you are thinking about not including it in an SDC published article, I'd have to agree with you. We're all at an age when death around us is all too commonplace, and we needn't have out favorite magazine and our favorite author reminding us of that reality.

Just my opinion, and I'm sure others will differ.


Larry

[Aussie Hawk]

Oh, come on guys - the term 'jumping at shadows' springs to mind. It's a drawing done in 1910!!! It's either a gate post or a mile stone, sheeesh. It's our job as the generation before Political Correctness went mad, to try and bring some commonsense to the table[:0]

Matt
Brisbane
Australia

[5859]

I didn't notice it until I read your explanation. Just to be clear, what does it look like to everyone else? I can see two things in the image, both of which would be disturbing if they are real. It could very well be a gravestone though, they sure seem to have a lot of flowers in the car.

[kurtruk]

I see a cartoonish ghost she's got her foot on.[:0]

KURTRUK
(read it backwards)




Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong. -A. Lincoln

[barnlark]

That's very silly. It's just a gate stone. Then again, if you're going to sketch subliminal images to sell cars in 1910, you don't associate gravestones with the car, you're going to put the real detail in the vehicle and the kind of people in them to help a potential buyer fantasize.
I thought you were suggesting these were the Hooters girls of 1910 and there's always someone that is going to be offended if they truly want to be.
Does the stone look pretty odd; yes.
I don't see the Virgin Mary anywhere in there, but I'm sure I could find one. I can't discuss that here, though. [)]

[2R5]

Never noticed it until you mentioned it ....I presume there would be another if you could move the car .



[IMG]
Home of the Fried Green Tomato
"IF YOU WANT THE SMILES YOU NEED TO DO THE MILES "

1960 Champ
1964 Daytona HT
1966 Daytona SS

[8E45E]

quote:Originally posted by 5859

I didn't notice it until I read your explanation. Just to be clear, what does it look like to everyone else? I can see two things in the image, both of which would be disturbing if they are real. It could very well be a gravestone though, they sure seem to have a lot of flowers in the car.

I am guessing it could very well be a headstone, with grieving family members about to place all those flowers around it. It may be a rather unusual ad, but I don't find it objectionable in any way whatsoever.

Craig

[BobGlasscock]

I didn't notice it, either, until you pointed it out. And when I went back to look at it, I looked at the pic as if it did not exist there. The drawing would not be right if that corner were empty. Very lopsided. Doesn't matter to me what it is supposed to represent, gate post or headstone or whatever, something just needs to be in that corner.

In fact, when you first stated there was something objectionable, I thought you were referring to the lady's dress above her ankles.

'50 Champion, 1 family owner

[CKOT]

My immediate thought it was a gravestone with everyone in the car with all the flowers and such. It used to be pretty commonplace routine to go to the cemetary on Sunday afternoons....