Life — January 19, 1911 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for the "Ironclad-Exide" battery, placed in Life magazine's advertising section. The image shows an early electric automobile with a well-dressed woman driver, representing the target market: affluent consumers considering electric vehicles. The ad emphasizes battery reliability, claiming the Exide battery powers over 90% of electric vehicles manufactured. The "Electric Storage Battery Co." (based in Philadelphia, 1888-1911) lists major automobile manufacturers using their product, including Baker, Columbia, and Rauch & Lang—names now historically obscure. This reflects a pre-1920 moment when electric vehicles competed seriously with gasoline cars, before internal combustion engines became dominant. The ad's emphasis on maintenance-free operation and improved mileage suggests these were genuine consumer concerns of the era.