Life, 1915-04-22 · page 44 of 44
Life — April 22, 1915 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire** — it is a **straight advertisement** for the Baker Electric automobile, published in *Life* magazine on April 22, 1915. The page promotes the "Light Baker Electric Coupe," a full-sized electric vehicle manufactured by the Baker Motor Vehicle Company in Cleveland. The ad emphasizes that despite being half a ton lighter than competing heavy electric cars, it maintains full-sized quality and performance — offering easy steering, low maintenance costs, and full speed and power. The illustration shows a side view of the enclosed coupe with a passenger visible through the windows. Electric cars were a genuine competing technology in the early 1910s before gasoline engines dominated the market. This represents standard commercial advertising rather than satirical or political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
April 22, 1915 One-half Ton Lighter Than the Big Heavy Electrics Not a Small Car The New Light Baker Electric Coupe is a full-sized light weight car of the highest possible quality. It offers all the advantages of light weight (easy steering, easy handling, low upkeep expense), Plus Full Speed, Full Mileage, Full Power and Full Strength. The Baker Motor Vehicle Company Cleveland Broughams, Coupes, Roadsters, fal Trucks an¥es.