Life, 1919-09-11 · page 37 of 48
Life — September 11, 1919 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **straight product advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes Franklin automobiles, emphasizing their exceptional tire economy and reliability. The page claims Franklin owners achieve 14,500 miles per tire set—double the average car's performance—with only three punctures over that distance. The visual shows a well-dressed man changing a tire by a roadside pole, likely illustrating the *rarity* of this task for Franklin owners. The advertisement's appeal targets early-20th-century motorists' genuine anxiety: tire failures and frequent replacements were common automotive problems. By highlighting Franklin's light-weight construction and air cooling (rather than water), the ad suggests superior engineering reduces road shock and tire wear. The testimonial from "a prominent Troy, N.Y. manufacturer" provides social proof—a credible endorsement. For modern readers, this reflects how automobile reliability was still a major selling point when cars were relatively new technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE Franklin Tire Mileage ROOF of the tire economy of any car comes only from owners’ results The reports of Franklin Tire Mile- age made in a recent nation-wide in- vestigation, show Franklin owners as authority for the average record of 14,500 miles to the set of tires. This is more than double the mile- age delivered by the average car, nearly three times the usual tire mile- age guarantee. It is undeniable proof that it is car design principally which influences tire economy. test. of the made, it re- Before this recent Franklin Car could be quired two years of waiting for tires to wear out. This is significant to owne ccustomed to replacing tires in their first season. And in 14,500 miles of running, Franklin owners averaged only three punctures. Blowouts or other tire idents are practically unknown. FRANKLIN AUTOMOBIL! A PROMINENT TROY, N. xperienced motorists will appre- ciate what this means in freedom from tire anxiety, trouble and ex- pense. It exple why Franklin Cars are rarely seen carrying spare tires and why Franklin owners never have expensive spare tire investments. Franklin Light Weight and Flexible Construction create this tire economy and freedom from trouble, they give riding comfort, e and safe control, by lessening the shocks of the road. just as driving Direct Air Cooling (no water to freeze or boil) adds its influence to the all-round reliability of the Frank- lin Car, These fundamental principles are also the reason why Franklin Cars frequently deliver more than is actu- ally quoted for them— 20 miles to the gallon of gasoline 12,500 miles to the set of tires 50% slower yearly depreciation COMPANY, SYRACUSE, N. Y. MANUFACTURER WRITES: ¢ original tires are still on my car in its third year after going 16,000 miles. never had a puncture nor Still in good shape. During this time 1 have ny tire trouble whatever.” —SS= comicbooks.com