Life, 1912-01-04 · page 17 of 108
Life — January 4, 1912 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **tire company advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The Fisk Rubber Company showcases a heavily worn tire to demonstrate product durability and value. The advertisement references the "deacon's one-horse shay"—a literary allusion to Oliver Wendell Holmes's 1858 poem about a carriage that lasted exactly 100 years before suddenly falling apart. By comparing their tire to this tale, Fisk claims their product extracts maximum utility before failure, with "no weak part." The worn tire photograph serves as proof of longevity. The ad emphasizes uniform construction, resistance to punctures, and claims 25% better mileage than competitors—marketing messages typical of early automotive advertising when tire reliability was a major selling point for consumers. This represents commercial advertising rather than satire or political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Long Life ccs By Miles the Best An illustration of a Fisk Heavy Car Type Tire which has been used under reasonable conditions ~ is shown herewith. This tire has given every last bit of mileage that it was built to give; like the ‘“deacon’s one-horse shay” it-has held together until the maximum amount of service has been obtained. A tire is like a chain, in that to be strong there must be no weak part. Fisk Tires show uniform strength. Such well balanced construction means full serv- ice without additional expense for repairs and re-treads. It means the greatest possible resistance against punctures. It explains why for the last year Fisk Heavy Car Type Construction Tires have averaged 25% more mileage than all others. Styles: Clincher, Q. D. Clincher, Fisk-Dunlop, Fisk Bolted-On. The Fisk Rubber Co. Department S Chicopee Falls, Mass. Direct Factory Branches in 30 Cities ‘comicbooks*com