Life, 1919-09-11 · page 39 of 48
Life — September 11, 1919 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or political content. It promotes the Ruud automatic gas water heater, a home appliance innovation. The visual compares two scenarios: a hand turning a faucet with robust flow (top) versus weak, disappointing flow (bottom). The message is straightforward—Ruud solves the common household problem of unreliable hot water. The appeal targets **domestic efficiency and convenience**: no lighting or monitoring needed, automatic temperature control, and zero waste. This reflects early 20th-century marketing that emphasized how new technologies would modernize home life and free users from tedious manual labor. The extensive list of branch offices across major American cities demonstrates Ruud's national reach and suggests this was a significant commercial product. The ad assumes readers care about hot water reliability—a relatively novel luxury at the time—making this a window into period consumer priorities and infrastructure development.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
___—*LIFE: Do Your Hot Water Faucets Flow Like this — or this? , HILLY and unresponsive hot-water faucets are reborn to a life of cheerful efficiency once you connect a Ruud with your gas and water pipes. With a Ruud in your home hot water is simply a matter of turning on any hot-water faucet at any time. The Ruud is controlled automatically by the hot-water faucets in kitchen, bath, laundry. There is nothing to light, nothing to watch—simply turn on any hot-water faucet and steaming hot water pours forth. You heat only as much water as you use—waste is impossible. U U D AUTOMATIC GAS “Hot Water All Over the House”’ The Ruud goes in s at the basement or Ask your gas company, any gas appliance store, ae 3 wherever conve- or your plumber about a Ruud. They will show ‘ say nient. Answers the you how simple a matter it is to have one put in tur is of ane fo your home. Meanwhile write for our interesting : wa ot oune in ine book describing Ruud Hot-Water Service. Address ‘ . home office or nearest branch. RUUD MANUFACTURING COMPANY Dept. C, Pittsburgh, Pa. Makers of Standardized Gas Water Heaters Ruud Manufacturing Co. of Canada: 371 Adelaide St. W., Toronto See the Ruud at any of these branch offices or agencies Atlanta, 72 Marietta Street Dayton, 17 Rockwood Ave. Milwaukee, 89 Biddle Street Baltimore, 881 No. Howard Street Detroit, 303 Park Building Minneapolis, 29 So. Fifth Street Boston, 66 High Street Duluth, 118 West Superior Street New York, 115 Broadway Buffalo, 875 Main Street Indianapolis, New Orleans, 216 Bourbon Street Chicago, 218 So. Wabash Avenue 207 Hume-Mansur Building Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, 707 Elm Street Kansas City, Mo., 1508 Main St. 413 Grain Exchange Building 1884 Euclid Avenue Louisvitle, 309 So. Third St Philadelphia, 1938 Market Street 41 West Long Street Los Angeles, 745 So. Broadway Portland, Ore., 412 Gasco Building 1 Commerce Street ee Rochester, Rochester Ry. & Light Buil San Francisco, 431 Sutter Ave 9b