Life, 1929-04-05 · page 8 of 56
Life — April 5, 1929 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **an advertisement, not a political cartoon or satire**. It's a Franklin automobile ad from the 1920s-1930s era (based on styling and typography). The illustration shows a woman standing triumphantly on a Franklin car with her arms raised, while a man drives. The ad promotes the Franklin's air-cooled engine as revolutionary and appeals to "youth" seeking modern motoring experiences. The "airplane feel" reference reflects the contemporary cultural fascination with aviation—presenting the car as cutting-edge technology. The emphasized words ("different," "revolutionary," "supreme," "air-cooled") highlight the Franklin's main selling point: its innovative cooling system, which was genuinely distinctive compared to water-cooled competitors. This is mainstream commercial messaging celebrating technological progress, not political satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
(Youth welcomes air-cooled motoring -and the AIRPLANE FEEL of the brilliant Franklin Always the pioneer—theleader—Franklin, through air-cooling, again brings amazing and revolutionary performanceto America. Youth—and all those who recognize prog- ress—have enthusiastically accepted the new Franklin as the greatest: motoring advance in years. New motoring joys! Your first ride is a thrill. Here, inthe new air-cooled Franklin, is a completely different and finer type of travel. Power—and to spare. Quick see- ond gear getaway—quiet as high, even at 55 miles an hour. Effortless control—with soaring smoothness and cushion-like rid- ing comfort. As you drive, you sense the feel of driving an airplane. You delight in having the car do things you never thought possible before. You marvel at its snap-quick acceleration—its supreme roadability—its cager speed. Drive this new car! You cannot possibly appreciate the full meaning of air-cooled motoring until you do. There is absolutely nothing like it! The astonishing perform- ance of the new Franklin, and the car itself, are in a class alone. FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE CO., SYRACUSE, N.Y. The One-Thirty $2180 — The One-Thirty-Five $2485 — The One-Thirty-Seven $2775 — Sedan prices at factory FRANKLIN comicbooks.com