Judge, 1919-05-24 · page 2 of 32
Judge — May 24, 1919 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This is an advertisement for Kelly-Springfield Cord Tires, presented as a humorous dialogue. The cartoon depicts an early 1900s automobile carrying a man, woman, and child, loaded with two spare tires despite already having tires on the vehicle. The joke plays on practical concerns of the era: early automobile tires were unreliable and frequently blew out, making spare tires genuinely necessary safety equipment. The husband's comment—that spares aren't needed—is contradicted by his wife's response that she keeps them "because they're such good lookers," a lighthearted justification. The ad's purpose is to suggest Kelly-Springfield tires are so reliable that owners won't need spares, while simultaneously showcasing the tires themselves as attractive products worth displaying.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘Why the two spares when you're already riding on Kelly-Springfield Cord Tires? Won't need ‘em, you know.” “Righto. But they're such good lookers that I love to have thenr along.”