Life, 1916-01-13 · page 2 of 44
Life — January 13, 1916 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It's a Baker and Rauch & Lang Electric automobile advertisement from the early 1900s (the New York Show dates Dec. 31-Jan. 8 suggest early January timing). The image depicts a well-dressed mother with two children in an electric car, viewed from above. The ad emphasizes "Confidence" and "driving simplicity" — key selling points for electric vehicles of that era, which were considered safer and easier to operate than gasoline cars. The appeal targets middle-class families concerned with safety. The text stresses that electric cars required no manual gear-shifting or mechanical complexity, making them ideal for women drivers and families with children. This reflects the period when electric vehicles competed seriously with gasoline automobiles before the latter ultimately dominated the market.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Five Dollars. Single Coples, Price la Engisad, Sixpence. Confidence Wonderful driving simplicity of the Baker and Rauch & Lang Electric inspires utmost confidence on the part of the occupants at all times. The mother finds comfort in knowing that the safety and pleasure of her little ones are enhanced because of this driving simplicity—this independence from mechanical obtrusion and confusion. And in full keeping with this is the rich coach work—genuine coach work—the best that can come of over sixty years leadership in B , fashionable coach building. Confidence all “round—in the knowledge that your Baker and Rauch r} & Lang represents the best, and that it insures the utmost in safety. gee The Baker R. & L. Company Cleveland, Ohio “The Social Necessity” See‘ our latest models at the New’ York Show Dec: 31—Jan. 8 comicbooks.com