Life, 1911-03-02 · page 4 of 52
Life — March 2, 1911 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily advertising**, not satire or political commentary. The left advertisement promotes the **Broc Electric Vehicle** (a car powered by electric batteries, not gasoline). The pitch emphasizes practicality: safer, cleaner, cheaper to operate than gas cars, requiring no chauffeur, and suitable for family use. It specifically notes women could operate it easily—reflecting early 1900s marketing that positioned electric cars as "women's vehicles" before gasoline engines dominated. The right side advertises **Martin & Martin Shoes**, emphasizing custom-made quality and mail-order service. The bottom illustration appears to be humorous filler—two men on railroad tracks with a fortune-teller joke about predicting "another train to-day." This page represents typical early-20th-century *Life* magazine content: satirical humor mixed with period advertising reflecting contemporary technologies and gender assumptions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ELECTRIC , | IME was when a man looked upon an electric as a woman’s car—but that’s no longer true. In many respects the luxurious Broc is the best town or sub- urban car a man can drive—either in the roadster or coupe type. It is safer, cleaner, handier, more casily controlled than a gasoline car. It has ample power and speed for town or suburban use, and costs far less to operate. Three to seven dollars a month will furnish all necessary current to drive a four- passenger Broc—s often, as fast and as far as the average person desires. It requires no chauffeur; any member of the family can operate it; it is less likely to get out of order—more dependable the year round; and it has all the style one could wish for. If you are interested to know the details of Broc design and construc- tion, write for the Luxurious Broc catalog showing the six models for 1911—for two, three and four pas- sengers; Exide or Edison batteries. The BROC ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY 1665 East Fortieth Street Cleveland ° Critical dressers have found that the Martin & Martin Shoe Service has no counterpart, in America or Europe. Our shops have solved the problems of a strictly Cus- tom » tvice, for thousands of customers, by furnishing fine custom-made st.oes that are ready to wear, All our shoes are sewed over custom lasts, by hand, and the choicest leathers only are used, tanned by thelong time process. Every detail, from cutting to finish, is done by careful, custom methods. By our unique : SHOE-SERVICE-BY-POST you ca bs fitted satisfactorily with the world’s finest ready-to-wear shoes, no matter where you live. Upon request, we will te you all bout our Service-by-Post, and also send you Photographic illustrations of our latest and smartest models for Street. Dress and Sporting wear. You can quickly open an account, by furnishing the usual references. All fittings are carefully recorded, so that future orders are correctly and quickly filled. Priced at $7 upward ARTI ©° RTI Bootmakers jor Men ond Women New York: 1 East 35th St. Chicago: 183 Michigan Ate. KKK KEKE KK KEKE KKK KKK KKK KK KKK EK CRRERE EERE KKK KKK KE KK KEKE KKKKKKKKK RKRKK KK KK KK KKK KKK K KKK KKK KKK KK RKK KKK KKK Stranger; BUT, WANG 17, MAN, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE'LL BE ANOTHER TRAIN TO-DAY, WHO IN THUN- DER DOES? “YE MIGHT TRY OLE HANK HENDERS, OVER YONDER. THEY DO SAY HE'S A KIND 0" FORTUNE TELLER.” comicbooks.com