Judge, 1922-07-15 · page 29 of 36
Judge — July 15, 1922 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **tire advertisement** disguised as comedy. The cartoon shows a driver anxious about hitting a railroad pillar while speeding to catch a train. His chauffeur reassures him that Kelly tires provide reliable grip ("I got Kellys on all around"). The joke plays on the driver's casual attitude toward danger—he's willing to risk wrapping around a pillar as long as the car doesn't slip. The ad's message: Kelly-Springfield tires are now affordable AND high-quality, undercutting competitors through better manufacturing. The historical context: This appears to be early 20th-century advertising when automobile ownership was still relatively exclusive, and tire quality directly affected safety and mileage. The ad emphasizes that Kelly tires—once a premium product—are now democratized through mass production and reduced pricing, making them accessible to average car owners.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
/ “Hey, I want to catch that train, but I’m not fussy about being wrapped around one of these pillars!” “All right, boss, I got Kellys on all around, but I'll slow up if you say so.” OT only is the Kelly Kant-Slip Cord as sure-footed as a cat but in the vast majority of cases it gives its owner the kind of uninterrupted mileage that every car owner dreams of—and that many don’t get. The Kelly-Springfield tires of today are vastly better than the tires on which the Kelly reputation was built, yet they cost much less. More efficient manufacturing processes and greater production have brought the price down. Now, if costs no more to buy a Kelly. 27