Life, 1920-10-07 · page 43 of 56
Life — October 7, 1920 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **car advertisement**, not satire or political content. It promotes the Franklin Sedan automobile, manufactured in Syracuse, New York. The illustration shows a 1920s-era sedan with several figures examining or discussing it—typical advertising imagery of the era meant to convey respectability and practical value. The text emphasizes the car's economic advantages: fuel efficiency (20 mpg), tire longevity, and slower depreciation. Notably, it highlights the Franklin's **air-cooling system** as superior to water-cooled competitors, eliminating radiator problems, freeze-mixture hassles, and winter starting troubles. For modern readers: this reflects pre-mass-production competition when automobile manufacturers had genuinely different cooling technologies. The Franklin's air-cooling was a real selling point before liquid-cooled engines became industry standard. The ad's focus on reliability and winter performance suggests these were significant consumer concerns in early automotive markets. This appears to be a straightforward product advertisement, not editorial content or satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE FRANKLIN SEDAN 20 miles to the gallon of gasoline 12,500 miles to the set of tires 50% slower yearly depreciation (National Averages) TBE time-saving and effort-saving uses to which a car is put daily, bring out Franklin advantages as positively as long tours do. Economical at all times, the Franklin Sedan is easy on drivers’ nerves, riders’ energy and owners’ patience. Light weight, flexibility and direct air cooling make it easy to handle and comfortable over all roads, and do away with most tire troubles and all cooling troubles. In the winter this last advantage is especially important. The Franklin Sedan owner is never bothered with leaky radiators, draining and refilling, or anti-freeze mixtures. Result: no starting delays, no annoyances or misgivings on the road, no repair bills afterwards. Cool in summer, and capable of covering longer dis- tances in a day than most open cars, the Franklin Sedan is the most satisfactory year-round car made. FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY, SYRACUSE, N.Y. comicbooks.com