Life, 1919-10-09 · page 39 of 48
Life — October 9, 1919 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **entirely an advertisement** for Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heaters, not satire or political commentary. There are no cartoons or caricatures to analyze. The ad promotes an innovative home appliance: an automatic gas water heater that connects to household pipes and ignites automatically when faucets turn on, then shuts off when they close. The copywriting emphasizes convenience ("no attention needed"), efficiency ("no fuel wasted"), and reliability (claiming 150,000+ units in use, some for 25 years). The visual diagrams show the heater unit itself and installation setup. For modern readers, this represents early 20th-century marketing of what became standard household technology—then a novelty worthy of detailed explanation and extensive branch-office listings across America and Canada.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Ruud goes in the basement or wherever convenient. Answers the turn of any hot- water faucet in the house. Connect These And Youw’ll Get Sure-Enough Hot Water Just join a Ruud to your gas and water pipes and you can have hot water at any moment of the day from any hot-water faucet, upstairs or down. A Ruud needs no attention. It goes in the base- ment or wherever convenient and is lighted auto- matically by the flow of water when you turn on the faucets. Turn off the faucet and you turn off the gas— automatically. No fuel is wasted — you heat on'; as much water as you use. Over 150,000 Ruud Heaters are in use — some of them have been in service for 25 years. Your gas company, any gas appliance store, or your plumber will tell you about a Ruud for your home. Re- member the name Ruud. An interesting illustrated book on home hot-water service is yours for the asking. Address home office or branch nearest you. RUUD MANUFACTURING COMPANY Dept. C, Pittsburgh, Pa, Makers of Standardized Gas Water Heaters Ruud Manufacturing Co. of Canada: 371 Adelaide St. W., Toronto R LU LJ D AUTOMATIC GAS WATER HEATER ‘‘Hot Water All Over the House”’ See the Ruud at any of these branch offices or agencies 72, Marietta Street Duluth, 118 West Superior Street Philadelphia, 1938 Market Street Baltimore, 881 No. Howar.! Street Indianapolis, 207 Hume- Mansur Bldg. Portland, Ore., 412 Gasco Building Boston, 66 High Street Kansas City. Mo., 1508 Main St Rochester, Buffalo, 875 Main Street Louisville, 309 So. Third Street Rochester Ry. & Light Building So. Wabash Avenue Los Angeles, 745 So. Eroadway San Francisco, 431 Sutter Avenue Milwaukee, 89 Biddle Street St. Louis, 1019 Locust Street Cleveland, 1854 Euclid Avenue Minneapolis, 29 So. Fifth Street St. Paul, 144 E. Sixth Street Columbus. 41 West Long Street New York, 115 Broadway Syracuse, 204 Seitz Building Dallas, 1501 Commerce Street New Orleans, 216 Bourbon Street Tole 1o, 240 Erie Street Dayton, 17 Rockwood Ave. Oklahoma City, Washington, Detroit, 303 Park Duilcing 413 Grain Exchange Building 711 Thirteenth St., N.¥ comicbooks.com