Life, 1909-05-13 · page 21 of 32
Life — May 13, 1909 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **tire advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The page promotes Republic Rubber Co.'s "Staggard Tread" tires, featuring a close-up photograph of the tire's tread pattern with prominent anti-skid studs. The ad's sales pitch emphasizes practicality for early 1900s urban driving: the solid rubber studs won't tear off but gradually wear down, and the tire performs adequately in fair weather while remaining ready for wet conditions without requiring tire chains—a significant convenience claim for the era. The text explicitly targets city drivers where "pavements are sprinkled" (likely referring to water-sprayed streets to control dust), positioning safety as the primary selling point. The publication date (Sept. 15, 1908) and multiple office locations listed indicate this was a national advertisement in *Life* magazine's pages.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OU see these anti-skid studs are solid rubber, molded as part of the tread. They are too big and well rooted to tear off, so they simply wear down. You can use this tire con- tinuously in fair weather and yet be always ready for a stretch of wet asphalt with- XN out stopping to put on tire pinion be \ 4 \ A\ YS chains. Absolutely neces- But 1 VAN ua) sary for safety in the city where pavements are sprinkled. Republic Rubber Co. Youngstown, Ohio ye might oard- w York City, st 58th St.; Boston, 5 Boylston Philadelphia, N. hicago, 116 Lal jefferson Ave. aul, 180 Kansas jo, 2815 Illnots ‘Sugrard Tread, Pat. Sept. 15. 22, 1908, comicbooks.com