Life, 1911-01-05 · page 18 of 104
Life — January 5, 1911 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes the Baker Electric automobile, manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio around 1911. The image shows two fashionably dressed women in period clothing examining a Baker electric vehicle. The advertisement emphasizes the car's appeal to affluent buyers—particularly women—highlighting qualities like quietness, refinement, and smooth operation without chains (a feature of gasoline vehicles). The key selling point is the vehicle's impressive range: 244½ miles on a single Edison battery charge, which was a notable achievement for early electric cars. The "shaft drive" mentioned refers to the silent transmission system. **Context for modern readers**: This reflects a historical moment when electric vehicles competed with gasoline cars. Early electrics were considered sophisticated, quiet, and suitable for urban driving—particularly marketed toward women. The advertisement's focus on elegance and lack of noise reflects how electrics positioned themselves as superior to noisy, chain-driven gasoline automobiles of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
You Can Tell It’s a Baker Recognized at once by its silent, smooth-run- ning chassis—without chains. The quietest of all electrics and the most refined. Observe its beauty of design, and shaft drive. The latter is noiseless—enabled a stock Baker to make the world’s mileage record of 244% miles on a single charge of Edison batteries. See 1911 models in salesroom of dealer in your city, or write for illustrated catalog. The Baker Motor-Vehicle Company 33 West 80th Street, Cleveland, Ohio Ss s 8 iS = 5 s = = = =I = Ss Ss = = 5 = = =| = =] = = NVLANNRUSAUSAUDALYRSY LE comicbooks.com