May 20, 2009

SELLING ELECTRIC CARS, 1895-1934

“Selling Electric Cars, 1895 to 1934,” an exhibit of electric vehicle print advertisements, will be on view in Swarthmore Borough Hall Gallery from June 5 through July 5. The public is cordially invited to the opening reception on Saturday, June 13 from 2pm to 4pm.

Swarthmore resident Barbara Drebing Kauffman founded Competitive Green Archive LLC to collect and share historical images which showcase green products competing in the marketplace. This exhibit includes reprints of a map and fragile original newsprint images which reside in the archive. New color posters incorporate original color magazine advertisements with a banner headline excerpt from ad copy. Reprints of the color map, ad posters and black and white newsprint images may be purchased. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to help fund Swarthmore green projects. This is the first exhibition of the archival images.

Kauffman’s objective is to allow the historical images to reveal how electric cars were sold when they pre-dated gasoline cars and were very popular. The advertising copy presents many features of the cars and responds to customer apprehension about the products. Many of the worries that today’s car buyers feel about new electric vehicles entering the market are addressed in these archival images.

Kauffman has been fascinated with cars and cities of the future since touring the New York World’s Fair in her youth. She also cites the influence of her Native American heritage, her commitment to the Jewish concept of “tikkem olam,” to repair the earth, and her education at Oberlin College and Harvard Business School.

Gallery hours are 8am-9pm Monday – Thursday, 8am-7pm Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday and 1pm-5pm Sunday.

This exhibit is sponsored by Friends of the Arts, whose mission is to encourage the expression of all forms of art by local artists and to provide a venue for artistic dialogue.
More information about Swarthmore Friends of the Arts can be found online at http://www.swarthmorearts.org/ or by contacting Lora Lavin at 610-328-3746 or lavin@steuber.com. Borough Hall is located at 121 Park Avenue.