3497 x 4993 px | 29,6 x 42,3 cm | 11,7 x 16,6 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
2. November 2019
Ort:
Regents Street, London, UK
Weitere Informationen:
In 1898 the Waverly Company of Indianapolis, which had earlier produced bicycles under the name of The Indiana Bicycle Company, produced its first electric car; the electric Stanhope. Between 1898 and the company's demise in 1914, Waverly produced over a hundred different models of vehicles including wagons (trucks)with prices that ranged from $900 to $3, 500. The Stanhope was actually a two-seater buggy with tiller steering and was powered by an electric battery. The manufacturer bragged that their vehicle could travel up to forty miles at a dizzying top speed of fourteen-miles per hour. The Stanhope was favored by physicians of the time and is said to be the first car driven in the U.S. by a woman when Genevra Delphine Mudge drove her Waverly electric along New York city streets in 1898. While that historic benchmark might appeal to my daughter, I doubt that the Stanhope would work well for her in modern day Indianapolis traffic. In the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, however, the Waverly electric car was a wonder. In a 1912 advertisement for their model Silent Limousine-Five, the company touted the benefits of owning one of their vehicles; no noise, smoke, gasoline odor, or oil spatters, it bragged. Sounds a bit like ads for electric cars today, doesn’t it? In 1912, however, there would have been no mention of cup holders, heated seats, or hands-free bluetooth phone options. Instead, the 1912 ad speaks of passenger comfort as well as the car's gentleness on clothing during a night out on the town: “Delicate Gowns Not Marred In This Roomy Electric. Your party for reception, theater or ball, may number five adults, yet no gown will be marred or even crushed.” Though automobile ads of today often tout ample “leg room, ” you'll rarely hear claims of unmarred gowns. One 1900 model Waverly had a front seat that faced the rear of the vehicle. The driver sat in the front-facing back seat and operated the steering lever, making it easy to converse with pa