You’re familiar with Mr.Peanut, are you not? Tall, slender, wears trappings of wealth (monocle, top hat, cane, spats), has a colossal peanut for a body? Sure, you know him! Good fella. Anyway, one of the people who is said to have had a hand in his design, Elmer Stoner, was also a remarkably talented commercial artist who worked for Franklin, the early 20th-Century American automaker that specialized in air-cooled engines. This series of illustrations for Franklin ads caught my attention for their unusual grace and beauty. And, as you may be aware, whenever I’m sufficiently moved by aesthetics, I’m contractually obligated to share the cause of my infatuation with all of you, so, here we are.
Before we get into the Franklin stuff, I should mention that Elmer Stoner was also notable because he was one of the first Black people to be a comic-book artist, and even worked on Detective Comics 1, which was the start of the series that eventually gave birth, 26 episodes later, to Batman.
But that comes later; let’s go back to around 1929 and Stoner’s Franklin ads:
Stoner was clearly interested in the women surrounding the car, but that Franklin is rendered beautifully as well. It’s worth noting how many aircraft references and comparisons are made to the Franklin, which fits; the air-cooled engine was more common in aircraft, and Franklin made prodigious use of aluminum, more than any other contemporary automaker, and that’s also a very aircraft-inspired trait.
Also, look how that sky is rendered; I love it, for all its abstract oddity.
Here we have a 1930 ad, again with a prominent woman, but also a dog, one of those narrow afghans favored by rich people. I think? Maybe that’s a grayhound? Whatever it is, it’s narrow and probably fast.
Also note that they mention the “gracefully arched hood front” – the term “hood front” was Franklin’s name for the fake radiator, which did act as an air intake for the air-cooling system.
These Franklin 130-series cars had some of the first inline-sixes on the market. Also, note how that sky is handled; we’ll see more of that later. Also, we’re still with the prominent foreground women, this one a skier.
Another skier, this one seemingly done with those skis, though. The copy notes speeds of 80 mph, which the Franklins, which had 100 horsepower engines by 1930, were capable of. These were fast cars!
Hey look! It seems the Almighty Himself has come down to shine on that car and that flapper there. Stoner is having a good time with the skies, but I think this one is where he really lets himself enjoy a sky to its fullest:
Look at that; the sky has almost become a cubist masterpiece, with areas of color broken up into flat planes and shapes; and look at the leaves on that branch, too! I love how they’re all geometric as well!
Good stuff.
The font used for the Franklin name in the image with the dog is beautiful.
These are beautiful and classy.
It might be an Afghan hound like you said, since it has the ruffles- usually they have even more fur! They are beautiful dogs…was gonna say Whippet at 1st which are similar to Greyhounds…I have to say the US version vs the British version: Grayhound…since it’s almost 4th of July! Happy Independence Day!
Oh ok, someone mentioned the dog is a Borzoi…I should have noticed, it was only 4 comments down ha ha
As a note, if you are in the Tucson area and are interested in Franklin cars, there’s a museum here dedicated to the brand. It’s seasonal and closed until late October because…really really hot now. But for more information:
https://franklinmuseum.org/
It looks like the fedora-clad male drivers in those illustrations are really short. Their eyes seem to be level with the tops of the steering wheels. They look like they are barely able to see over the dash. The next-to last one shows the driver looking up over it! Anybody else see this? How can they possibly see anything in front of the car?
Yup…and they’re too busy ogling the women anyway and look like they’re asking for their # (landline of course!) Can’t say I blame them…
although the one w/ the wife in the car it looks like she gouged his eyes out for ogling…ha ha
Torch,
I love that I immediately know when an article is yours by the headline. Stay Gold!
I believe that in the first one, that “abstract oddity” of a sky is not sky. They are at the beach and that is the waterline, as indicated by by the two ladies in swimsuits, one with a towel. The high angle supports seeing the water in that position. Hopefully the ladies will not come to feminine fisticuffs over who gets to take the sole remaining seat in the Franklin.
The skinny tall dog is a Borzoi.
That last illustration is especially superb. Even by peak Art Deco standards it’s pretty daring.
Big bosoms and wasp waists due to corsets were Grandma’s thing in the Flapper era.
Flat chests and boyish bobs were the fashion – as getting rid of corsets and cutting ones hair offered women the freedom to do physical activities such as swimming and skiing.
Torch already drives a vehicle someone might use when they lost their license
They seemed to be very taken with the idea of starting out in second gear – sorry, “second speed”. I wonder when gear became the preferred nomenclature.
And it was oddly prescient that they would mention 55mph so prominently.
Before synchromesh, the goal was to shift as little as possible. The more torques you had, the higher the gear you could start off in and still pull away smoothly.
That makes complete sense – thanks!
I thought in the Franklin case it was more about the level of luxury: “look, you can go fast while doing less work!”, which is most likely related to your point as well.
Even though it’s kinda overkill and bad form to do 2 posts on Cold Start, I gotta to share this paragraph from the Franklin wiki page. Apparently, Mr. Herbert H. Franklin was a stone-cold baller:
“The Franklin companies suffered financial collapse in April 1934. Aside from his consequent retirement CEO Herbert Franklin’s lifestyle was unaffected.”
Herb’s gonna Herb.
Same could be said for two of my former employers. Former owners unscathed…meanwhile the worker bees and suppliers….
That beach scene illustration definitely got Mr. Peanut’s attention.
I suspect we are looking at the ocean surf in the background of the bathing beauties, not the sky. We are viewing the car from above.
oh shit, you’re right, that’s definitely water!
The skies are indeed amazing but I think in the first image that’s water, not sky, given the downward-looking angle and that they’re dressed for the beach.
You just beat me!
An unmonitored Tabitha Stevens manifesting Emma Stone through some Elmer Stoner art is next-level witchcraft. Somebody better call Dr. Bombay.
Dr Bombay, Dr. Bombay! Emergency come right away!
That car with the done-with-it skier, wow. All the forward visibility of a tank.
Or a Camaro
Those poses are fantastic! Yes, the sky is amazing, but the poses of those women are so dramatic.
…
I’m amazed at the sheer sexiness of these ads. This is practically porn in 1929, and I’m sure the pearl-clutchers were on it. What a great artist, he deserves to be celebrated as a pioneer.
Great stuff, Torch. You always know where to find the gems.
Bare ankles!
Pants… on women!
Oh, the huge manatee!
Women were apparently quite large at that time.
They preferred “foregroundy” to “large”.
Yeah this is the time when the unrealistic image of what a real woman looks like first took hold.
Yeah, nah, that’s been around as long as people have been painting pictures.
Oh, I’m borrowing this. So much better than “big-boned”.
I’m not fat! I’m foregroundy!
Yeah, very tall…also slender and sexy! I’m surprised that commenter Large Marge hasn’t chimed in