Life, 1911-03-30 · page 44 of 45
Life — March 30, 1911 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** rather than political satire. It promotes Baker Motor-Vehicle Company's electric automobiles, specifically their "shaft driven" transmission technology. The image depicts a silhouetted driver in an early electric car, pointing upward at birds in flight—a visual metaphor suggesting speed, freedom, or progress. The advertisement emphasizes Baker's innovation: their shaft drive transmission (as opposed to chain drives) for electric vehicles, claiming it's superior, proven, and "neither old-fashioned nor experimental." The historical context: This appears from the early 1910s, when **electric vehicles competed seriously with gasoline cars**. Baker was a real Cleveland manufacturer of luxury electric automobiles. The ad targets affluent buyers by highlighting technological superiority and offering premium battery options (Edison batteries at extra cost). There is no satire here—it's straightforward early automotive marketing emphasizing engineering innovation during the brief era when electrics seemed a viable alternative to internal combustion engines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
March 50, 19] The Pioneer Shaft Driven Electric Eight years ago The Baker Company began the designing of shaft drive in electrics. Two years ago they perfected a shaft drive which proved so superior in use to any chain drive invented that the latter was ented abandoned. It is today the only transmission in electrics which is neither old-fashioned nor experimental. Lead plate, iron clad or Edison batteries, the two latter at extra cost; special electric pneumatic or Motz cushion tires. THE BAKER MOTOR-VEHICLE COMPANY 33 West 80th Street, Cleveland, Ohio comicbooks.com