Rauch & Lang Electric Automobile, 1914

The Rauch and Lang Carriage Company of Cleveland, Ohio built this automobile in 1915. The car was donated to the Smithsonian in 1929. Rauch and Lang cars were expensive vehicles and were often owned by rich urban women. According to a 1913 Washington Post article, Rauch and Lang automobiles were easy to drive, and the company's product was "the one best adapted for driving by women and children." This electrically powered automobile is a four-passenger brougham, with plum-colored upholstery, solid tires, and a tiller for steering. The Smithsonian's example was donated to the collection by the wife of William C. Gorgas, who had been Surgeon General of the Army and died in 1920. It is likely that she used the vehicle rather than him. Like a number of automakers, notably Studebaker, the Rauch and Lang Company started out making coaches and carriages.

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