Life — March 17, 1910 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily **Franklin automobile advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It's a straightforward promotional piece from the H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Company of Syracuse, New York. The ad argues that average car owners don't truly understand automobile comfort until experiencing a Franklin. It compares this to how someone hasn't truly experienced flight until trying an airplane. The copy emphasizes Franklin's distinctive features: light weight, advanced air-cooling system (rather than water cooling), and reliable tire construction. Three specific models are highlighted with prices: Model G ($1,850), Model H ($3,750), and Model D ($2,800). This represents early 20th-century automotive marketing—educational, feature-focused, and designed to persuade middle-class readers that Franklin's engineering philosophy offered superior comfort and reliability compared to competitors.