Life, 1911-01-05 · page 7 of 104
Life — January 5, 1911 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes the "Ironclad-Exide" battery for electric automobiles, published by The Electric Storage Battery Co. of Philadelphia. The ad features decorative illustrations of well-dressed passengers (appearing to be wealthy socialites) enjoying electric vehicles at what looks like an opera house or theater. The imagery associates electric cars with sophistication and leisure—targeting affluent buyers. The text emphasizes the battery's reliability, claiming it gives "two to three times longer life" than standard batteries and requires no cleaning. This was genuine advertising for early 1910s electric vehicle technology, which competed with gasoline cars before internal combustion engines became dominant. The page reflects the era's optimism about electric vehicles as convenient, elegant transportation for the wealthy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Society’s Motor Car The “Electric’— with the “Tronclad=Exide”’ BATTERY FOR the opera, the theatre, the recep- tion, the call—an elec- tric car is in entire harmony with both the occasion and the pas- senger—elegant in appointment, unobtrusive in action, delightfully comfort- able, scrupulously clean, safe, silent and INVARIABLY READY FOR INSTANT USE, even when put into service after long waits in extreme cold. All ordinary difficulties of travel—cold, storm, grades—are overcome by its system of stored pow: The dependability and the simplicity of the Electric Vehicle have recently been greatly increased by the new and wonderful “Troncladz=Exide” BATTERY This new battery is the latest and highest development of the standard ‘* xtde’’ battery, which for years has been so. superior that over 90% of all ‘* Electrics” manu- factured have been equipped with it. The new ‘Tronclad-Exide” Battery gives from two to three times longer life than the standard ‘* Exide” Battery, it never requires cleaning and it gives an increased mileage to meet every practical demand, The “Bronclad-Extde’ Battery is far superior to any battery yet manufactured. It is the battery for which electric vehicle users have hoped and waited. When you buy an “ Electric” insist upon its being equipped with the vi TroncladsExide’ * Battery. This will be a guarantee to you that your “ Electric” will always be ready for use without a moment's worry concerning the storage battery. If you have an “Electric” and are using the ** Extde ’ Battery, remember that when renewals are necessary the new ** BtoncladsExtde’’ Battery can be placed in your present jars. Write the nearest Sales Office to-day and ask for the book describing this new and wonderful vehicle battery—The ‘ Bronclad=Exide’ THE ELECT RIC STORAGE BATTERY CO. PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1910 New Ye York, Boston, Chicago, St. Lavin, Cleveland, Atlanta, Denver, Detroit ‘San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Lov Angele, 2. 5" eEribe"” Depots715 Distrbuters—nspection ass Corps,