Life, 1919-11-20 · page 41 of 46
Life — November 20, 1919 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire or editorial cartoon. The page from *Life* magazine (page 871) promotes the Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heater. The advertisement addresses a common household problem of the era: inconsistent hot water access. It humorously references domestic frustration—the laundress or family members exhausting hot water, or someone forgetting to light the heater manually. The visual shows five different bathroom/kitchen faucet styles, illustrating that regardless of fixture type, the Ruud system delivers reliable hot water automatically. The large industrial heater unit pictured would be installed in a basement. The sales pitch emphasizes convenience: automatic operation, no manual lighting needed, unlimited hot water throughout the house. The ad claims over 150,000 units in use and positions Ruud as the 25-year industry pioneer. This represents early 20th-century consumer marketing targeting middle-class homeowners seeking modern domestic comfort and labor-saving devices.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Five Kinds of Faucets and Every One Will Flow Hot Water ANY a home is hot-water poor simply because the laundress or someone else has used the hot water, or somebody has forgotten to light the heater. The situation is reversed when a Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heater is in the home—there is nothing to light and no limit to the piping hot water. The “‘on and off”’ of any hot-water faucet in the home starts and stops the heat, just as it does the flow of water —there’s nothing to worry over, or watch— and hot water is always on tap all over the house. RUUD AUTOMATIC GAS WATER HEATER “Hot Water All Over the House” A Ruud goes in the basement or other convenient place and is controlled automatically from the faucets in bathroom, kitchen, laundry. The Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heater was the pioneer some 25 years ago—it’s the first in service today. Over 150,000 are in use. Ask any gas office, gas-appliance store, or plumber about a Ruud for your home. Write for our illustrated book on Hot Water Service The Ruud goes in the ¥ with information where to see a Ruud in action. Address basement or wher- i ever convenient. Aniuers the turn of RUUD MANUFACTURING COMPANY inthe house once Dept. C, Pittsburgh, Pa. Makers of Standardized Gas Water Heaters Ruud Manufacturing Co. of Canada: 371 Adelaide Street W.. Toronto comicbooks.com