The Chandler

Fredrick C. Chandler's company produced luxury automobiles at his Cleveland, OH factory during the 1910's and 1920's. Eventually the company released a "companion" car, the Cleveland, designed for the budget market. In 1928 the Chandler company folded, closing over a half million dollars in debt.

The ad comes from the July 1927 issue of Life magazine and it shows an automotive industry that still hadn't found the way to approach selling their merchandise. The imagery speaks of estates, polo, and idleness. It has a very Great Gatsby vibe. The tag line of "Inwardly and Outwardly Magnificent" fails to help you envision the experience of the Chandler. Exactly what does magnificent mean in automotive terms? What do you mean by "enlivening the nation's highways"? And "unfeigned admiration", really? There's a bit of nice period slang incorporated into the copy, though. "Chandler goes the limit...", I can't remember the last time I heard anything or anyone described as going the limit!