Life, 1914-03-05 · page 43 of 60
Life — March 5, 1914 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not satire but a **straight advertisement** for the Detroit Electric automobile, appearing in *Life* magazine (page 419). The illustration shows fashionably dressed women arriving at a social event via electric car—depicting the vehicle as essential for women attending tea, theatre, receptions, and shopping. The accompanying shopping list ("Shopping List / Stores for Best Flowers / Stores / Myles Shoes / Coffee / Gloves / Candies") humorously itemizes typical errand stops. The pitch targets wealthy women with "many social engagements," emphasizing the car's elegance, comfort, privacy, and convenience over gasoline vehicles. The Anderson Electric Car Company claims to be the world's largest electric pleasure vehicle manufacturer. **Modern context**: This represents the brief era (1900s-1910s) when electric cars competed viably with gasoline engines, marketed specifically to women as safe, quiet, and refined alternatives.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SOCIETY’S TOWN CAR The electric automobile has become a neces- changeable spring weather—as at other sity to the woman with many social engage- _ times—this beautiful car carries you in ele- ments. And: the Detroit Electric has justly gant comfort and independent privacy to the earned its title, “ a fe reception, tea, theatre or dance. For shon- e Town Car.’ Int ping, also, it is the ideal of convenience Remember, too, that the Detroit Electne is built and backed by the world’s largest makers of electric pleasure vehicles Your choi Ix Catalog on request ANDERSON ELECTRIC CAR COMPANY Detrorr, MIcH. Builders of the Detroit Electric Largest manufacturers of electne pleasure vehicles in the werld comicbooks.com