Life, 1914-05-28 · page 33 of 44
Life — May 28, 1914 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for the Ohio Electric automobile, appearing in Life magazine (page 985). The ad promotes the Ohio Electric Model 40, a 5-passenger electric brougham (a closed carriage-style car). The text emphasizes the vehicle's innovative "magnetic control" braking system as its key selling point, claiming it's exclusive to Ohio Electric and makes the car easier to operate—"simple as turning a door-knob." The ad highlights that Ohio Electric pioneered the double drive (controllable from both front and rear seats) four years prior, and claims this feature is now standard on all large electric cars. The image shows a side view of the boxy, early automobile with prominent spoked wheels. Contact information is provided for the manufacturer in Toledo, Ohio, and distributors in New York and Canada. This reflects the early 20th-century automotive market when electric cars were serious competitors to gasoline vehicles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ORIGINAL! Many features which you demand OHIO ELECTRIC Model 40—S5-passenger brougham Magnetic control—magnetic brake pleasure in driving any car. And the magnetic control, with magnetic brake, is in your car today were first intro- duced by the Ohio Electric. OR instance, the double drive from both front and rear seat. We have used it successfully for four years. Today, it is almost impossible to sell any large electric without it. But it is the magnetic control which makes possible the utmost effectiveness in a double-drive car—or the utmost an exclusive Ohio feature which no other car can offer you. Visit the Ohio showroom in your city and see the wonderful simplicity of this operating mechanism. Literature on request. The Ohio Electric Car Company, 1505 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, Ohio Gotham Motor Car Company, Gibson Electrics, Ltd., 236 West 54th Street, Ontario Distributors, New York City Toronto, Canada Ohio Electric Magnetic Control— Simple as Turning a Door-knob comicbooks.com