Front or back cover from a 1938 collection of humor stories ユーモア小説集 called “Life Ad balloon”『人生アド・バルーン』, by Hayashi Nikuta 林 二九太　(ハヤシ ニクタ) (1896 – unknown). Cover art was provided by Ono Saseo 小野佐世男 (1905-1954), who signs his name in English.

In addition to being an interesting visual artist, Ono is a frequent topic of debate, as he was a propaganda painter in occupied Indonesia from 1942-1946. The “Life Ad Balloon” cover is a playful work, depicting a couple riding an ad balloon as is it floats above the clouds. The woman appears confident, poised on the front edge of the balloon; the man seems less sure of himself, grasping at the balloon as if it were a life raft. Must be a first date.

Of interest: known in part for his pictures of fashionable women, Saseo Ono was supposed to interview and sketch Marylin Monroe when she and Joe DiMaggio visited Japan. But he collapsed at Nichigeki Music Hall and died of a heart attack hours before meeting her (source).

See: Ad Balloons on the Ginza: Float, Young Advertisers! (1890-1989)