Life, 1917-02-08 · page 35 of 42
Life — February 8, 1917 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward automobile advertisement for the Franklin automobile company, published in *Life* magazine (page 235). The page features a side-view illustration of a Franklin Enclosed Car and promotional text arguing for its superiority as a summer vehicle. The advertisement emphasizes practical benefits: ventilation control, protection from dust and rain, comfort for passengers (particularly women, who wouldn't arrive "like rescued survivors"), and engineering features like lightness and fuel economy. The text uses a rhetorical device—imagining testimony from satisfied owners—to build credibility. Various Franklin models are listed with prices (ranging from $1,900-$3,100) at the bottom. This represents early 20th-century automotive marketing, when enclosed cars were still relatively novel and manufacturers needed to convince buyers of their advantages over open designs. The appeal to family comfort and (implicitly) women's interests in maintaining appearance during travel reflects period attitudes about automobiles' social use.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SO +O LWLY, IND a man who has experienced the luxury of a Franklin Enclosed Car for summer use. Ask him what he thinks of the Enclosed Car idea for summer. He will tell you that he has made a dis- covery in motoring: that he will never use any other type of car: that all the objections you can think of are not true or do not apply to the Franklin. He will tell you that the lightness and re- silience of the Franklin make it practical for any kind of driving, on any sort of road, any time, anywhere. That he gets all the free-blowing air there is—as much or as little as he wants. That he can regulate the amount of venti- lation. That he can instantly adj the windows for any sort of weather—shut out dust or rain; drive for fifty miles on a hot Touring Car 2280 Ibs. Runabout 2160 Ib Four-passenger Roadster 2280 |bs. $1950.00 1900.00 Sedan Cabriolet 1930.00 Brougham 2375 Ibs... v vw UO EGEG SOL summer afternoon and step out of the car clean and cool. Then he will tell you what it means to his wife and family. he comfort of wearing what they please en tour; the freedom from grimy, parched skins and enveloping veils; the joy of stepping onto a hotel veranda without looking like the rescued survivors of a wrecked Cook’s Tour. Then he will come back to the specific features of Franklin construction—its flexibil- ity, the lightness of i . He will tell you of casy ing over rough roads, its liveliness on the hills, its maximum speed from place to place, its economy in gasoline, its remarkable tire mileage. Features that apply equally to Enclosed or Open models—the features that make the Franklin so definitely an all-around efficient car, 2485 Ibs. 00 Town Car 2610 Ibs... 2850.00 Limousin 2800.00 FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY SYRACUSE, N. U.S. AL GCG GiGiggy comicbooks.com