Life, 1914-06-18 · page 29 of 44
Life — June 18, 1914 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Westinghouse Electric advertisement**, not satire—it's a straightforward 1920s promotional campaign for electrical household appliances. The page shows two products aimed at different household tasks: an electric breakfast set (percolator and toaster) and an electric iron. Each includes a photograph of a woman using the appliance. The implicit social message, unremarkable for the era, reveals class assumptions typical of the period. The breakfast ad targets the housewife directly ("just sit down and eat"), while the iron ad explicitly addresses *employers* of servants ("making work pleasant for your servants is the best way to get better work from them"). This reflects early-20th-century domesticity where electricity promised to modernize household labor—either eliminating drudgery for middle-class women or making servants more efficient and content in their work. The assumption that servants exist and require management is presented matter-of-factly, illustrating period attitudes toward class and domestic work.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
An Electric Breakfast Set for the Modern Home REAKFAST has become a joy where electricity does the cook- ing. No fire to start; no preliminary fuss- ings Just sit down and eat. ectricity starts the coffee and toast at the turn of a switch; and breakfast may be simple or elaborate with the Westinghouse Electric Breakfast Set This consists of the latest type Westin house Percolating Coffee-Pot and the famous Westing- house Electric Toaster-Stove. With the percolator, coffee-making is reduced to a science. When the water is at the right heat, it percolates through the ground coffee, making an infusion that may be brought up to any strength desired, resulting in a perfect brew. From the plain toast of the simplest breakfast to the satisfying meal of steak and griddle cakes required by the robust appetite—the toaster-stove is equal to every demand. ‘oasting, boiling, frying, grilling—all may be done at table. ae Get the set at your Electric Lighting Com- panys or ata good electric shop. Send for Folder lo. 4266. A Way to Improve the Work of Your Laundress M eres work pleasant for your servants is the best way to get better work from them. Old-fashioned ironing makes its own unpleasant conditions. The tendenc is for a laundress to hurry throu 4 the tedious, humid job and to slight the work. The Westinghouse Electric Iron brings the best out of a good laundress. She is prateful for the freedom from the tiresome journey tween stove and ironing-board to replace cooled irons with heated ones. All laundresses do better work with the West- inghouse Electric Iron. The heat is just where it is wanted all the time. The laundress works quicker because she dces not have to leave the ironing-board until she is finished. The current used is all turned into useful heat. Westinghouse Electric Irons, being scientifically designed, areeconomical. Being wellmade, theylast many years. Their heating element is guaranteed a lifetime by a Company whose guarantee is good. Send for a Westinghouse Electric Iron from your Electric Light Company or any good electric shop. Send for Folder No. 4281. Address Dept. CV Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company Sales Offices in 45 American Cities East Pittsburgh, Penna. Representatives all over the World comicbooks.com