Life, 1919-04-10 · page 33 of 46
Life — April 10, 1919 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **straightforward automobile advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. Published in *Life* magazine (page 621), it promotes the Franklin Automobile Company of Syracuse, New York. The page features a detailed illustration of the Franklin car with two testimonial quotes from satisfied owners—a New York businessman and another owner—praising its fuel economy (26 miles per gallon), tire durability, and low maintenance costs. The ad emphasizes the car's key selling points: no water-cooling system (avoiding freeze/boil issues), light weight, safety, and exceptional longevity. The decorative illustration at top left (tall cypress-like trees) appears purely ornamental, setting a scenic context for the vehicle. This represents typical early 20th-century automotive advertising strategy: leveraging real customer testimonials to establish credibility and differentiate the product in a competitive market.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE FRANKLIN CAR HE exceptional performance of the Franklin Car makes its market the fastest growing and most permanentin the fine car field. Motorists are today investigating performance and what makes it possible. They are discovering why the Franklin Car delivers the motoring satisfaction they have been seeking, while a change of make in the past has only exchanged familiar troubles. The significant facts in this exceptional performance of the Franklin Car are:—comfortable riding on rough or smooth roads; ease of control and safety; light weight and flexibil all season usability; no water to boil or freeze; no starting troubles; combined ¢ you ¢n t ] with unmatched economy— Act Tike | 20 miles to the gallon of yasoline you-yo ‘ : i 10,000 miles to the set of tires said yy \ ye \ 50°% slower yearly depreciation FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY SYRACUSE, N. Y. A NEW YORK BUSINESS MAN WRITES: “The grand average mile- age on gasoline has been twenty-six m to the gallon, and the car requires no greater quantity of lubrica' oil than other makes. leage, it has done better than you told me it would.” ANOTHER OWNER WRITES: “The two rear tires on my Franklin covered 14,000 miles, and one of the front tires is still on with a record of 19,600 miles and looks good for a lot more.” comicbooks.com