Life, 1916-12-07 · page 73 of 94
Life — December 7, 1916 — page 73: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Western Electric Company advertisement disguised as advice**, not satire. It addresses a genuine early-20th-century domestic crisis: servant shortage and high turnover. The "problem" presented is a maid quitting, leaving the employer frustrated. Rather than solving labor practices or wages, Western Electric proposes electrical appliances as the answer—making housework attractive enough to retain servants, or eliminating the need for them entirely. The irony (likely unintentional from the advertiser's perspective) is striking to modern readers: the ad acknowledges widespread servant dissatisfaction while offering appliances instead of addressing why servants left. The images on the right show women using these devices, suggesting electrified housework as liberation. This reflects a pivotal moment when domestic technology promised to solve "the servant problem" through mechanization rather than improved labor conditions—a narrative that shaped modern housework expectations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TheNew Answer She’s leaving! Leaving her position—disgruntled; leaving you—discouraged. And you had just congratulated yourself on getting at last a maid who really suited, and who seemed satisfied to stay. But—you have been all through such experiences time and again. You'll call the Employment Bureau and have them send around another girl. You'll hope for the best— and let it go at that, knowing full well that it will be a repeti- tion of past experiences. What are you going to do about it? Sater oy a aay "a iia as Ee PS YORK Dik wont ter a pea age Western Electric Listen: Electricity will make it easier for you to get servants and to keep them—by making housework more attractive. And it will simplify your own work if left without a maid. There’s the Washer and Wringer to do the week’s wash on a Monday morn, and the Electric Iron to follow it up in the afternoon of the same day. There's the Electric Toaster to make appetizing toast at the table and to keep it crisp and warm. There's the Electric Range rapidly coming into more general use for cook- ing through the attractive rates now be- ing made for current in many parts of the country. And after your electrically prepared meal is over, there is the Electric Dish- Washer to clear it away. Then, too, there are the Vacuum Cleaner, the Fan, the Inter-phone and the dozen and one other conveniences—all to be had with the quality mark— Western Electric. -These devices are easy to buy and each one is an investment which soon pays for itself. Exclusive of the Electric Range, the cost of current to operate them all per month is less than your monthly bill for light alone. For while other ne- cessities of life are increasing in cost, electric current is steadily decreasing. If you have a servant problem in your home, why not find out now how elec- tricity can help you solve it? Write our nearest office today for your copy of Booklet No. “73-AK,” “The Elec- trical Way.” WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY INCORPORATED 195 Broadway, New York City Houses in All Principal Cities of the United States and Canada America’s Electrical Week, December 2nd to 9th comicbooks.com