Life — March 6, 1913 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Gray & Davis Electric Starter Advertisement This is not a cartoon or satire, but rather a **straightforward product advertisement** for the Gray & Davis Electric Starter—an early automobile electric starting system. The page promotes a 6-volt electric starter as a major innovation in automotive convenience and safety. The advertisement includes three photographs: cars being started, the mechanical starter device itself, and a traffic scene illustrating how the starter prevents stalling dangers. Key claims include that the device "starts any car under any conditions" and that at the New York Automobile Show, 77% of exhibited cars used Gray & Davis equipment—presented as evidence of its superiority and market dominance. This reflects the early 1910s transition from hand-crank engine starting to electric starters—a genuine technological advancement, not satire.