Life, 1912-04-04 · page 55 of 80
Life — April 4, 1912 — page 55: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes Kelly-Springfield tires, a real company established in 1895. The image features a stylized woman in 1920s attire seated on a large tire—a common advertising motif of the era that combined glamour with the product. The cityscape background emphasizes modernity and urban sophistication. The text's opening—"air is air, but you can't say the same of rubber"—is a clever wordplay comparing pneumatic (air-filled) tires. The advertisement argues that while tire brands use similar air, Kelly-Springfield's superior rubber *composition* and manufacturing knowledge (emphasized in italics) justify their premium positioning. The claim of "a thousand or two" better mileage distinguishes them from competitors. This represents early 20th-century advertising strategy: establishing brand prestige through implied technical superiority rather than explicit competitor attacks.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
— “LIFE: “Kelly-Springfield ‘arliamen. SS10RS of : Automobile Tires © injured tless for cause of and is lable dis | disgus- I raighe i Ah Speaking of pneumatic tires, air is air, but you can’t say the same of rubber: still less can you say it of the rubber compo- sition of which tires are made, which to most people simply means rubber. There is a wide choice in brands of tires, and extravagant claims can easily be made, but— After all, the worth of a tire depends upon two things, viz: a 4#zow/edge of rubber and a real desire to make good tires. The mileage average of Kelly-Spring- field Automobile Tires—better by a thousand Melly-Springfield Tire Co. or two than that of the average tire —shows 20 Vesey St., New York our knowledge of rubber. ; Branch offices in The reputation that you have known Sul. sin Detroit Cinunaati, San Pranesca, Los Angeles, since 1895, shows how our desire to make good Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington, Seattle, * : Atlanta, Akron, O., Buffalo. tires has been lived up to. Boss Rubber Co., Denver, Colo; Let these be your guide posts in tire Appel & Burwell. Rubber & Tire Company, Dallas, Texas. . Todd Rubber Co., New Haven, Conn. buying. ooo EEE, 79 comicbooks.com