Life, 1913-04-17 · page 52 of 52
Life — April 17, 1913 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement, not political satire**. It's a 1913 Baker Electric Motor Company ad promoting their luxury electric automobiles. The illustration shows well-dressed people in an elegant electric car parked in a garden setting with flowering trees and blooming flowers. The imagery emphasizes comfort, luxury, and ease of operation—key selling points for electric cars of that era. The ad's text highlights the Baker Electric's advantages: reliability, comfort, ease of operation ("cannot go wrong"), and readiness for any service condition. The phrase "The Call of the Great Out-Doors" frames automobile ownership as answering nature's appeal. **Historical context**: In 1913, electric cars competed seriously with gasoline vehicles. They appealed to wealthy urban buyers (notably women) who valued quiet operation, cleanliness, and reliability over the mechanical complexity and maintenance demands of early gasoline engines. The elegant garden setting and well-appointed passengers reflect the car's positioning as a status symbol for the affluent.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Apel 17, 1913, won The Call of the Great Out-Doors Answer it in a Luxurious Baker Electric You want a car that embodies the ior appoint. pund at their hi ker C You want a car that is ready at all for less than §, c times for any kind of service —sand, hil No oth to oper- In other words, you want the BEST ate—one that cannot “go wrong” if improperly handled. ELECTRIC CAR BUILT.” That must be THE BAKER MOTOR VEHICLE COMPANY, CLEVELAND, OHIO Ruilders also of Baker Electric Trucks CANADA _The Baker Motor Vehicle Co. of Canada, Ltd., Walk comicbooks.com