Life, 1912-10-03 · page 37 of 56
Life — October 3, 1912 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for the Detroit Electric automobile, Model 42 "Clear Vision Brougham," from 1913. The ad emphasizes practical features appealing to urban drivers: all-forward-facing seats, panoramic glass visibility (no obstructed corner panels), aluminum body construction, and reliable electric power. The illustration shows fashionably dressed passengers in what appears to be a suburban or park setting, suggesting middle-to-upper-class appeal. The marketing pitch stresses the car's logical design, comfort, and safety for "congested traffic of city streets"—positioning it as the sensible choice versus gasoline automobiles. Notable is the emphasis that Anderson Electric manufactures (not merely assembles) components in-house, suggesting quality and American manufacturing pride typical of 1913 industrial advertising. This reflects the pre-WWI era when electric vehicles competed viably with gasoline cars, before Henry Ford's mass production made gas engines dominant.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
XUM vUenea eee nna caeAneeNNO Ae Eve vteen eee eeeen tea ceceeceac ceva naieenctienstcedtssresescunreeneneg ee ClearVision Brougham Model 42 Arrived! T’S here—the electric automobile for which you have been waiting—The Detroit Electric Clear Vision Brougham. It is driven from the front seat, all seats facing forward. You not only have a clear vision of the road ahead, but in addition you have a clear view at either side or the rear as there are no corner panels to obstruct the view. Glass has even replaced these rear corners, formerly made of wood. After years of effort, we have solved the problem of a standard body design that is destined to be a classic of the body builder’s art—always in style. For comfort, ease of handling and appearance, The Detroit Electric Clear Vision Brougham must appeal to you as being fundamentally right. It’s the most logical, common sense, practical—yes, and lawful —electric automobile for the congested traffic of city streets. It’s not too large, not too small, not too heavy, not too light. It's compact, and unusually comfortable. A new and clever seating arrangement permits all of the occupants to face for- ward and still enjoy the privacy, sociability and dignity charac- teristic of electric automobiles. The driver's seat is not in an isolated position—way up in front. It’s centrally located, thus ensuring an appearance of easy grace and balance, even when ‘one person is using the car. The beautiful body panels, the graceful roof, and sweeping full-skirted fenders are ALL made of pure aluminum. Even all glass is set in hand-hammered aluminum mouldings which will not check or crack. Larger wheels will be used in 1913—34"x4" Pneumatic or 36°x4" Cushion Tires being optional. The battery capacity has been increased. This applies to both the Edison and Detroit Electric Guaranteed Lead Bat- teries. All battery cells are immediately accessible. Our motors, controllers, bodies—even our Guaranteed Lead Batteries—are all made in our own factory, the largest in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of electric au- tomobiles. MWe do not assemble—we build. For 1913 we also offer a selection of seven other models which include Gentlemen's Roadsters, Victorias, Coupes and Limousines. Our new illustrated catalog is now ready. Write us or call on any of our branches. Anderson Electric Car Co., 409 Clay Avenue, Detroit, U.S.A. Boston Branches: Brooklyn New York: Broadway at 80th Street Chicago: 2416 Michigan Ave Buffalo (Also Branch at Evanston) Selling Representatives in all leading cities comicbooks.com