Life, 1908-04-16 · page 24 of 24
Life — April 16, 1908 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is entirely **advertising**, not satire or editorial cartooning. It's a 1908 Baker Motor Vehicle Company advertisement promoting electric automobiles. The page displays five vehicle models (Runabout, Queen Victoria, Roadster, Landaulet, and Inside-driven Coupe) alongside marketing claims emphasizing reliability and ease of use: "no repair bill," "safest to drive," "fewest parts and adjustments," and "cheapest to maintain." The pitch targets early-1900s consumers concerned about automotive complexity. Electric vehicles competed with gasoline cars by emphasizing simplicity and low maintenance—key selling points when automobiles were still novel and unreliable. The company's Cleveland address and nationwide agencies suggest national distribution ambitions. The decorative lightning-bolt borders reinforce the "electric" branding. This represents the era when electric vehicles were genuinely competitive technology before gasoline engines ultimately dominated.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
chine with a factory behind it which produces quality. The pride of the maker. The pride of the owner. The Electric recognized as the most efficient in the world. The Automobile with the fewest parts and fewest adjustments. Baker Electric Vehicles Baker Electrics are built on the principle “Simplicity means Reliability” Let us send you our 1908 catalog showing a complete line of fifteen different models of Baker Electrics. The Baker Motor Vehicle Company Agencies in all principel cities. 33 W. 80th Strect, Cleveland, O. The Standard of Electric Vehicles The carriage for every-day service—no =f matter what the weather. The simplest to operate—the safest to drive. Electric Vehicles The Automobile without a repair bill. The Car with a motor and controller which require no attention. The highest expression of modern electrical and mechanical engineering combined with eight years experience in progressive Electric Automobile con- struction. € Notthecheap- \est to buy—but \ the cheapest to maintain. comicbooks.com