Unclear if this is an ad for the rental of a funeral car, or the purchase of affordably priced coffins, or both. I’m not spotting a motor or a place one would be hidden, so I guess this must have been a horse drawn vehicle that R.F. Dorr would use when you hired their services.
I would think that by the aughts, these would be motorized, putting this ad in the 1800’s. But maybe tradition held out, and horses were used in the 10’s or 20’s in funeral duty? I could see that, since it’s more stately and cars were noisy and undignified. In which case this could be early 1900’s.
Fun made up fact: This was the origin of the threat “You don’t like it, there’s the Dorr!” When people didn’t want to hear someone’s complaining, they would say this and point to the nearest exit, implying that if they didn’t knock it off their next stop would be the mortician. Over time the phrase became so popular, people began referring to all exits and entrances as Dorrs.
Sounds right.
In the 1960’s, a band named themselves after this guy, in homage.
This source dates its to Aug 16, 1906 http://ourforgottenpassages.blogspot.com/2010/08/old-newspaper-advertisements.html