Life — May 29, 1913 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a full-page advertisement for the Ohio Electric Car Company of Toledo, Ohio. The headline "The Only Electric in the World" promotes the Ohio brand as uniquely superior. The illustration depicts elegantly dressed figures—a woman in a long dress and men in formal attire—alongside multiple Ohio electric vehicles, suggesting luxury and respectability. The advertisement emphasizes distinctive features: Double Drive, Magnetic Control, Magnetic Brake, direct drive without universal joints, Automatic Cut-Out, and "Viernese Models" (imported from Vienna). The copy appeals to comfort and safety, particularly highlighting the car's suitability for women drivers ("drive in perfect safety"). This reflects the early 1900s electric car market, before gasoline engines dominated.