Life, 1909-05-13 · page 31 of 32
Life — May 13, 1909 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page tire advertisement**, not political satire. The image shows a woman in early 20th-century dress (long coat, headscarf) pointing admiringly at a large Hartford tire, with a vintage automobile and winged imagery in the background. The ad's message is straightforward commercial: Hartford Tires offer superior quality, durability, comfort, and economy compared to competitors. The tagline "The Tires That Last" emphasizes longevity. The text appeals to "experienced drivers" and warns against accepting inferior "just as good" alternatives. The winged imagery suggests speed and progress—common Art Deco marketing conventions of the era. The female figure represents the modern motorist. There is no satirical content here; this is genuine period advertising claiming Hartford as the premium tire choice through quality construction and skilled American manufacturing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
al vn & y and n re- a ua |), THEY RIDE EASIER— ||) THEY SAVE YOUR CAR— - THEY LAST LONGER Switsee WI | Motorists are awakening to the fact that REAL QUALITY in an auto enue and mobile tire means more than longer life. It means added resiliency, saving in wear and tear on your car, and increased ; Bureso, ff || comfort and satisfaction in ing. The old experienced driver has long known that HARTFORD TIRES lutely n0 J ©] are to be preferred from every standpoint of economy, satisfaction and comfort. | HARTFORD TIRES ty aed 1 yore “The Tires That Last” hewn fe at are pre-eminently the quality tires of the world, fast and resilient and long lived, They are constructed of the very best materials only, by advanced methods and machinery (widely copied) —in the oldest exclusive tire factory in this country by workmen skilled through years of training with us. Our watchword is “Keep the Quality Up ” Insist on HARTFORD TIRES. Do not accept the “just as good ** kind. THE HARTFORD RUBBER WORKS COMPANY HARTFORD, CONN. BRANCHES: NEW YORK, 57th St. and Broadway DETROIT, 256 Jetterson Ave. CHICAGO, . and Michigan Ave. DENVER, 1564 Broadway PHILADELPHIA, 1425 Vine St. ATLANTA, GA,,94 North Pryor St, BOSTON, 817 Boylston St. BUFFALO. 725 Main St. CLEVELAND, 1831 Euclid Ave. AGENCIES: Pi comicbooks.com