Life, 1909-01-07 · page 45 of 60
Life — January 7, 1909 — page 45: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a straightforward advertisement, not satire. It promotes the Waverley Electric Coupe (formerly Pope-Waverley) as "the ideal winter vehicle" for affluent urban residents. The ad's key pitch targets **women of refinement** specifically—emphasizing that electric vehicles require no chauffeur, coachman, or escort, and operate with "utmost ease." This reflects early-1900s attitudes about women's emerging independence and vehicle accessibility. The ad contrasts electric cars favorably against both horse-drawn carriages (which need constant maintenance and live animals) and gasoline vehicles (which break down). The illustrations show the vehicle in an urban street scene and as a standalone image. Pricing ranges from $1,700–$2,000 (substantial for 1909), targeting wealthy society figures. The advertisement appears in Life magazine, which regularly featured luxury goods for its affluent readership, particularly appealing to the "busy men and society women" the headline addresses.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Ideal Winter Vehicle For Busy Men and Society Women The fact that the Waverley Electric Coupe is steadily reducing the number of cold, restless horses and shivering coachmen, can be traced to many vital, substantial reasons. For use in the city and suburbs—where 99 per cent. of motoring is done—the simple, stylish Waverley Electric is more durable, more reliable, and gives more actual service ata lower cost per mile thanany other vehicle, either horse-drawn or power-driven. Even the owners of gas cars are finding the Waverley a wise addition to their garage, for fam- ily use and winter service. Maintained more easily and for much less than a team of horses, it has irresistible advantages in radius of travel, speed, safety, quietness, cleanli- ness, comfort, style, convenience and dependabil- ity for constant service, winter or summer. Women of refinement operate the Waverley with utmost ease, and need neither chauffeur, coach- man nor escort. It has no “breakdowns” no worries. The Waverley is usually equipped to travel “4o to 60 miles on one charge—a radius which is more than ample, even for suburban residents, and permits the use of very durable batteries. Itwillbeequipped, ifdesired, to give far greater mileage—greater mileage, in fact, than can be had in any other electric. Battery: Exide, National or Waverley. Write for our booklet: “How Far Will An Electric Run?” and our complete catalog. The Waverley Company Indianapolis, Indiana Price—With Coupe Top, $1900; with Leather Top, $1700; with both tops, $2000. The 1909 Models will be exhibited at Madison Square Garden Show, New York, opening January the 16th. comicbooks.com