Life, 1919-12-18 · page 43 of 56
Life — December 18, 1919 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** for Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heaters, not political satire. The cartoon at top uses humor to sell the product: two illustrated faces (a man with a mustache and a woman) flank a gas water heater with steam rising from it. The caption "No Heated Argument Here" is a pun—it promises that installing a Ruud eliminates domestic disputes over who forgot to light the water heater or complaints about waiting for hot water. The joke relies on period assumptions about household friction: apparently, families commonly argued about heating water manually. The ad promises automatic operation eliminates these quarrels, making everyone "smile." The remainder is standard advertising copy claiming 150,000 units in use, ease of installation, and listing branch offices nationwide. This appears to be from an era (likely early 20th century based on typography and technology) when such appliances were luxury conveniences requiring explanation to consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
No Heated Argument Here Every hot-water tap in the house becomes a smile-post once you put a Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heater in your home. No disagree- ments as to who failed to light the heater, nor delays in getting hot water, are possible—the simple turn of any hot-water faucet makes the Ruud respond automatically. R LJ LJ D AUTOMATIC GAS WATER HEATER “Hot Water All Over the House”’ Let your gas company, gas appliance store or plumber tell you how easily a Ruud can be connected with your gas and water pipes in the basement or wherever convenient. Then hot water will be a cer- tainty—any minute of the day—any amount. The Ruud is the ideal method of home hot-water supply. Over 150,000 Ruud Water Heaters are in use—many of them have been in service for 25 years. Write today for our interesting illustrated book on Ruud Hot- 7 ‘Water Service. Address home office or nearest branch. The Ruud goes in the bi t wherever conveni- RUUD MANUFACTURING COMPANY ent. Answers the turn of any hot- Makers of Standardized Gas Water Heaters water faucet in the Dept. G Pittsburgh, Pa. house. Ruud Manufacturing Company of Canada: 371 Adelaide Street W., Toronto See the Ruud at any of these branch offices or agencies Altanta, 72 Marietta Street Dallas, 1501 Commerce Street Milwaukee, 8 Biddle Street Rochester, Rochester Ry. & Light Baltimore, 881 No. Howard Street Dayton, 17 Rockwood Avenue Minneapolis, 29 So. Fifth Street Building Boston, 66 High St Detroit, 303 Park Building Yi Broadway San Francisco, 431 Sutter Avenue jain Street Duluth, 118 West Superior Street Ne 216 Bourbon Street St. Louis, 1019 Locust Street Chicago, 218 So. Wabash Avenue Indianapolis, 207 Hume-Mansur Building 13 Grain Exchange ‘St. Paul, 144 E. Sixth Street Cincinnati, 707 Elm Street Kansas City, Mo., 1508 Main Street Syracuse, 204 Seitz Building Cleveland, 1854 Euclid Avenue Louisville, 309 So. Third Street Philadelphia, 1938 Market Street Toledo, 240 Erie Street Columbus, 41 West Long Street Los Angeles, 745 So. Broadway Portland, Ore., 412 Gasco Building ‘Washington, 711 Thirteenth Street, N.We