Life, 1913-01-09 · page 7 of 100
Life — January 9, 1913 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward **advertisement for Exide batteries**, circa 1913. The image shows an electric automobile parked in harsh winter weather, with well-dressed passengers boarding. The ad's message is practical: electric cars were a luxury option for the wealthy, but their reliability depended entirely on battery quality. Exide batteries, manufactured by The Electric Storage Battery Company in Philadelphia, promised dependable performance "under all conditions of road or weather." The social context: electric vehicles were genuine competitors to gasoline cars in the early 1900s, particularly appealing to affluent urban drivers. The advertisement emphasizes that Exide batteries were endorsed by major manufacturers and promises comfort without sacrificing reliability — a key selling point for a new technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1 he ball, the opera or any formal fui c e Bietin-vigtle <li gets Gre “Bos Baoe Re battery roa: \, Dependable service under all conditions of road or weather is aioe secured from The “Exide’’ Batteries These fourbatteries—the ‘Sronclad-Exide” “Exide”, “Mpcap=exide” and “ Thin-Exide” <a been developed to meet the special demands of all types of electric pleasure and commercial vehicles. They are batteries ‘of long Hifesithe that can be easily cared for; charged at a reasonable expense; give ample power for hill'climbing, and give dependable service in cold or hot weather. They are manufactured by the oldest and largest battery maker in the country, endorsed by 24 poet electric vehicle makers 2 and over 90% of all pleasure vehicles manufactured are equipped with them Insist upon your “Electric” being equipped with one of the “Exide” Batteries. surest way to satisfaction. Get posted. Write our nearest AN 4 . THE ELECTRUCSTORNCE BATTERY 00 ee comicbooks.com