Life — November 21, 1912 — page 44: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is not a political cartoon—it's a **vintage automobile advertisement** for Baker Electrics, likely from the early 1910s. The silhouetted illustration shows a luxury electric coupe with passengers, parked outside an elegant building with large windows. The ad's headline promises "The New Coupé the Whole Country is Talking About," positioning this vehicle as a prestigious status symbol. The text emphasizes innovative features like "revolving front seats" that allow occupants to face different directions, an extended wheelbase, and a refined body design. Baker Motor Vehicle Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio, promoted electric cars as symbols of comfort and sophistication for wealthy customers. The elegant Art Deco border design and refined illustration style reinforce the luxury market positioning. This represents an era when electric vehicles competed seriously with gasoline cars before being displaced by cheaper, mass-produced alternatives.