eBay Tuesday: Yale-Harvard Regatta Studebaker Advertisement

The metaphor in this Studebaker advertisement from the 1920s might be a little strained, but there's no denying that the copywriters could whip up a good spiel back then.

The advertisement is being offered by art.deco.diva (of the website artdecodiva.com). It pitches the President model of Studebaker, a brougham capable of seating five. The term brougham dates back to a time when it was a type of horse-drawn carriage, so clearly the advertisement is in the early days of horseless carriages. In fact, Studebaker got its start in 1852 with a wagon manufacturing business in South Bend, Ind.

The illustration in the advertisement features the yacht and motorboat galleries on the Thames River, with men and women standing on their decks awaiting the Yale-Harvard Regatta. The copy of the ad makes its strained comparison as it tries to compare the stamina and strength of the young rowers to the similar qualities in Studebaker vehicles.

"It is significant that here on the Thames, as wherever those of discernment foregather, Studebaker's champion straight eights and sixes should deserve prestige so deservedly high," the grandiose copy reads. "Holding every official stock car record for speed and endurance, these great motor cars display their mettle in every low-swung line."

The advertisement goes on to brag about the speed, comfort, endurance, and low prices of Studebaker vehicles. The featured President ran for a factory price of $2,350, although features were limited. It came with a trunk and a couple of extra tires; any more spares, or bumpers, were extra.

Studebaker would perish in the 1960s, first moving manufacturing from the United States to Canada in 1963. The company would produce its last vehicles in 1963.

As for the Yale-Harvard Regatta (or Harvard-Yale Regatta, depending on which school you favor), it first started when the teams began competing on Lake Winnipesaukee in 1852. The rowers began holding four-mile competitions in 1876, and two years later the race was held on the Thames River. It's been here ever since.

The regatta doesn't bring about much excitement anymore, but it was a huge event in its earlier days. According to Marc Wortman's The Millionaires' Unit, about Yale students who became aviators in World War I, the race attracted tens of thousands of people to New London. In addition to the boat observers featured in the advertisement, special observation trains ran along the riverbank pulling cars with grandstands to allow spectators to stay with the rowers for the entire race. Police officers were called in from Boston, New Haven, New York, and Providence to assist with crowd control.

"With the town 'jammed as it has never been before,' it was nearly impossible to cross State Street, the main thoroughfare out to the racecourse," Wortman writes of the 1916 race. "Police tried in vain to handle the massive traffic jam. It did not help that 'pretty girls, resplendent in summer finery, were everywhere.'"

In the races held on the Thames, Harvard has won 93 (including last year's competition) and Yale has won 54. Yale will try to close the deficit at the 148th regatta, taking place on June 9. 

The advertisement is seven and a half by 11 inches and described as in very good condition. The starting bid is $10.99, and the auction ends at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

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