Life, 1919-04-17 · page 35 of 46
Life — April 17, 1919 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**, but rather a straightforward advertisement for the Milburn Light Electric automobile, published in *Life* magazine (page 671). The ad promotes an electric car manufactured by the Milburn Wagon Company in Toledo, Ohio. It emphasizes practical features appealing to early 20th-century consumers: reliability, ease of operation, low maintenance costs, and extended range per battery charge. The quick-exchange battery system—allowing drivers to swap a depleted battery for a charged one in minutes—addresses a key limitation of electric vehicles of this era. Priced at $2,185 (circa 1910s), this represents a luxury vehicle. The advertisement reflects the period when electric cars were serious competitors to gasoline automobiles, particularly for urban middle-class buyers. The emphasis on beauty, comfort, and economy indicates the target market was likely affluent women and families seeking an alternative to the more temperamental gasoline-powered vehicles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIGHT, ELECTRIC The Modern Electric —is beautiful, low swung and absolutely reliable—simple —rarely gets out of order. The Modern Milbum is also very fast and yields long mileage per charge. It is the easiest car in the world to drive and the most economical to maintain. It is also handsomely painted and trimmed. The rear seat will comfortably accommodate two or even three. Flush type auxiliary front seats are standard equipment and furnish room for two additional passengers. All models are now equipped with a quick exchange battery system by means of which, in a few minutes’ time, a discharged battery can be easily rolled out and a fully charged one rolled in. Send for catalogue or ask for the address of our nearest Dealer. Price $2185, f. 0. b. Toledo’ Avredtunes nee The Milburn Wagon Company Toledo, Ohio Automobile Division comicbooks.com