Life, 1913-10-30 · page 27 of 40
Life — October 30, 1913 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Delco automobile advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the Delco electric starter system for gasoline cars. The ad's central argument is explicitly gendered: gasoline cars were previously "essentially a Man's Car" requiring "expert knowledge and a strong right arm" to operate (manual hand-cranking to start). The Delco system—with electric cranking and lighting—made cars so simple that women could drive them safely. The illustration shows a woman confidently at the steering wheel, emphasizing the ad's claim that cars are now "easy to operate—so safe" enough for female drivers. The text celebrates how this technology democratized automobile ownership beyond male enthusiasts. By modern standards, the ad's logic is revealing: it frames women's participation in driving as dependent on removing mechanical difficulty, rather than on capability or interest. The marketing strategy treats female drivers as a new market segment created by technological simplification, not as equal operators.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: DELCO ELECTRIC CRANKING LIGHTING IGNITION The Delco System has made the powerful gasolene car as easy to operate as an electric carriage e : . Up to two years ago the high powered gasolene car was essentially a Man’s Car. Expert knowledge and a strong right arm were required to operate it. Then came the Delco System—and overnight, almost, the whole status of the gasolene car was changed. The glaring crudities that had for years impeded its progress were eliminated. The crank was done away with—the necessity of getting out in the rain or mud to light or adjust the lamps was abolished—the danger of a stalled engine in the midst of congested traffic or on a rail- way crossing was removed. At one stroke the gasolene car was refined, sim- plified, tamed, brought easily within the limitations of'a woman's guiding hand. The Delco System has greatly broadened the scope and usefulness of the gasolene car. It has made it so easy to operate—so safe and dependable that thousands of women and other thousands of men who have heretofore felt the automobile too complicated and heavy for them to manage, are now enjoying the delights of driving with perfect case and freedom. The first electrically cranked car appeared two years ago. It was equipped with the Delco System Today more than fifty thousand Delco equipped cars are giving dependable, efficient service to their owners, And the great factories at Dayton and Chicago are working night and day to produce over 100,000 Delco equipments now under contract for the com- ing year. There is a tremendous—and steadily increasing demand among thoughtful buyers for Delco Equipped Cars. comicbooks.com