Life, 1913-06-19 · page 3 of 52
Life — June 19, 1913 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a full-page advertisement for the Ohio Electric Car, published in Life magazine (page 1199). The ad promotes the car's "Magnetic Control" system as an exclusive feature, emphasizing safety by eliminating "cumbersome, dangerous control levers" found in ordinary electric vehicles. Instead of multiple levers requiring constant attention, the Ohio Electric uses a magnetic disc system operable from the palm—safer for emergency situations. The central photograph shows the car's interior with passengers. The headline boasts that this is "THE ONLY CAR IN THE WORLD THAT CAN BE DRIVEN FROM BOTH FRONT AND REAR SEAT." This reflects early 1900s electric vehicle technology and marketing, when such innovations were genuinely novel selling points.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
When alone drive fromthe rear. With five passengers drive from the front with clear vision ahead. Noteexplanatory ar- rows. Magnetic Control—An Exclusive Ohio Feature Cumbersome, dangerous control levers abolished The control levers in an ordinary electric are cumbersome; they are unwieldy to handle; they take up room; but more than all, they are dangerous. With several levers to handle, constant presence of mind is required. A sudden’ emergency, an in- stant’s hesitation, the wrong manipulation of a lever —and grave disaster may result. Instead of working levers this way and that, a turn of the wrist or the pressure of a button con- trols the forward and reverse speeds, applies the magnetic brake, sounds a warning signal, or shuts and locks off the power. You must see and drive the Ohio for yourself in order to realize its wonderful ease and simplicity of operation as compared with the old-style lever- With the Ohio magnetic control, the entire govern- controlled car. ing mechanism is directed from a’ small disc resting convenient to the hand and fitting easily into the palm. There is an Ohio representative near you. See him and arrange for demonstration at your convenience. Descriptive literature mailed on request. The Ohio Electric Car Co., 1505 West Bancroft St., Toledo, Ohio Gibson Electrics, Ltd. Ontario Distributors Toronto, Canada THE ONLY CAR IN THE WORLD THAT CAN BE DRIVEN FROM BOTH FRONT AND REAR SEAT comicbooks.com