Life, 1911-01-19 · page 31 of 44
Life — January 19, 1911 — page 31: 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 Broc Electric Vehicle Company's "Luxurious Broc" electric automobiles from 1911. The illustration shows a elegantly dressed woman operating the vehicle—significant because the ad emphasizes that electric cars require no chauffeur and are safe enough for "any member of the family" to operate. This targets women drivers, a relatively novel concept at the time, highlighting the car's simplicity compared to gas-powered vehicles. The marketing emphasizes electric vehicles' advantages: cleanliness, quiet operation, ease of use, and economy. The company offered six models for 2-4 passengers, with either Exide or Edison batteries. The ad's location in *Life* magazine indicates these luxury electric cars were marketed to affluent, modern-minded readers—likely before gas engines dominated the market.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The LUXURIOVS BROC ELECTRIC ALL the style, comfort, quiet- ness and cleanliness of electricity, com- bined with ample power and speed and long mileage, make the Luxurious Broc an ideal town- car for a man or woman. Its simplicity makes it easy to operate and hard to get out of repair. It needs no chauffeur. Any member of the family can run it with safety. And not less important, it is an economical car. We honestly believe the Luxurious Broc is the most * economical electric built. If you care to know how and why, write today for the Luxurious Broc catalog The BROC ELECTRIC showing the six models for 1911—for two, three and four VEHICLE COMPANY possengenss Exide or Edison 1665 East Fortieth Street Cleveland, Ohio atteries, comicbooks.com