What was observed by us is the nature or matter of the milky way itself, which, with the aid of a spyglass, may be observed so well that all the disputes that for so many generations have vexed philosophers are destroyed by visible certainty, and we are liberated from wordy arguments. ~Galileo Galilei

1963 Thunderbird Anniversary Advertisement, modified by Shawndel Fraser

The visual is just as valid as the statistical, and is often what is translated into numbers. In certain instances, percentages, means, medians and modes, as well as multivariate regressions and standard deviations from the mean can inform us of the inner-workings of a situation more concisely than any image ever could. For that reason, science, research, empiricism all lean heavily on statistical convention. This website which is the portal to my entire project, leans on a pillar of an different order. Images. The data is comprised of images, images that were meant to convey certain ideas of the car as a product and status symbol, the car as a technology all to appeal to potential drivers. Beyond basic measures of the rates of appearance of certain tropes of imagery, car manufacturer and models, this aspect of the project is one in which the ads are their own best representation.

 My goal for the project, this website, the archive, the ads is to serve as an online democratic tool that any interested viewer can access.