Life, 1911-07-20 · page 3 of 40
Life — July 20, 1911 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward advertisement for the Franklin Automobile Company of Syracuse, New York, published in *Life* magazine. The ad promotes the Franklin automobile's tire durability as a key selling point. According to the text, Franklin tires were exceptionally reliable: owners reported 8,000-10,000 miles of service per set, averaging 3,000 miles without punctures — remarkable claims for the early automotive era when tire trouble was common. The ad highlights the vehicle's engineering advantages: large tires, light weight, and resilience that supposedly eliminated blow-outs. It notes four chassis sizes and twelve body styles, offering two- through seven-passenger models. This is period marketing emphasizing mechanical reliability to potential buyers skeptical of automobile durability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE: ) Era nikal he TIRE TROUBLE IS NOT A FACTOR WITH THE FRANKLIN. LARGE TIRES, LIGHT WEIGHT AND RESILIENCY ELIMINATE THE ANNOYANCE AND EXPENSE OF BLOW- | OUTS; EVEN PUNCTURES ARE RARE. —f} i TOTAL SERVICE PER SET OF TIRES BY ls | ACTUAL REPORTS FROM OWNERS IS lof EIGHT TO TEN THOUSAND MILES WITH L AN AVERAGE OF THREE THOUSAND MILES WITHOUT A PUNCTURE. FOUR | CHASSIS SIZES AND TWELVE BODY df | STYLES INCLUDE TWO., FOUR., FIVE-, re AND SEVEN-PASSENGER MODELS. SO , | | ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE SENT ON REQUEST le |h FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY _ | on| in| Syracuse N Y comicbooks.com