Life, 1915-03-11 · page 48 of 48
Life — March 11, 1915 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **advertising, not satire or editorial content**. It's a 1915 Baker Motor Vehicle Company advertisement for an electric automobile. The ad emphasizes that their "Light Electric" is a quality vehicle—not cheaply made—while being lighter than competing electric cars. It highlights practical advantages: reduced weight combined with full speed, mileage, power, and strength. **Historical context for modern readers**: Electric vehicles were a viable alternative to gasoline cars in the early 1900s, competing seriously in the market. This ad targets affluent buyers (noting models like "Broughams" and "Coupes") concerned about performance and reliability. The emphasis on being "light" but not "skimped" suggests competitors were making compromises. Baker was an actual Cleveland-based manufacturer of electric vehicles active during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
March 11, 1915} st A Light Electric!—not a small car nor a “skimped” car but a LIGHT car of the highest quality. It weighs a half-ton less than the big heavy electrics and offers all the advantages of light weight PLUS full speed, full mileage, full power and full strength. The Baker Motor Vehicle Company Cleveland Broughams, Coupes, Rodsters, Commercial Trucks The New Light Raker Electric Coupe comichooks.gom