Life, 1912-06-20 · page 43 of 44
Life — June 20, 1912 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **tire advertisement**, not satire or a political cartoon. The Republic Rubber Company advertises their "Staggard Tread" non-skid tire, featuring technical claims about safety on wet roads. The ad emphasizes the tire's studs (tread) acting as "little rudders" to prevent skidding and maintain traction. The left side shows a cross-section diagram of the tire and inner tube. The right side displays a photograph of an early automobile (circa 1910s-1920s) driving on a forest road, demonstrating the product in use. The patent date visible (Sept. 16-22, 1908) indicates this is from Life magazine's early period. This is straightforward commercial advertising rather than satirical content—typical of how such magazines funded themselves. The appeal is to automobile owners concerned with safety on poor road conditions, a genuine concern as motorized vehicles were still relatively new.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
UGY = i The Original Effective (| Non-Skid Tire When you drive over wet, slippery pavements or d, the sturdy long studs of the Staggard Tread ready for the emergency, like an army of little rudders that hold the wheel true to its course, ding and giving powerful tra rts and short stops without spinning or lock- ing the whe ‘elusive, | And when the center rows of studs (after thousands of miles of use) you still ha thickness plain tread of the ordinary tire and the two outer rows of studs which will prevent side-slipping for the life of the tire. adger. Lock Write for our booklet giving description of this the original effective non-skid tire, This booklet also describes the Republic Bl c of the pure Para Rubber— the tube that gi more riding comfort and wear than the ordinary tube. BLIC RUBBER COMPANY OWN, OHIO Branches amd Agencies in the Principal Cities REPUBLIC STAGGARD TREAD TIRES Republic Tread Pat, Sept. 16-22, 188. villian 35) Anna Baager, erriam Mass. Hines. comicbooks.com