Life — April 16, 1914 — page 44: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **Baker Motor Vehicle Company advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page shows a black early electric automobile from the side, photographed in front of flowering trees. The text argues that Baker electric cars maintain structural quality better than competitors over time—that three- or four-year-old Bakers hold up better than other electric vehicles of the same age. The ad's logic is that Baker prioritizes durability ("structural quality") over trendy but short-lived features. This was a legitimate selling point in 1914, when electric vehicles competed with gasoline cars and reliability mattered greatly. The "novel short-lived features" phrase likely refers to other manufacturers' gimmicky add-ons that would fail quickly. This represents early automotive advertising emphasizing longevity and quality as competitive advantages.