Life, 1912-06-27 · page 29 of 45
Life — June 27, 1912 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **tire advertisement**, not a political cartoon or satire. It's a full-page ad for Fisk Rubber Company's "Heavy Car Type" tires, published in *Life* magazine. The page uses typical early-20th-century advertising rhetoric: emphasizing fourteen years of reputation, quality construction, and fair dealing. The visual shows two tire cross-sections flanking a central tire image, labeled with different tread types ("Town Car Tread," "Fisk Smooth Tread," "New Bailey Tread"). The ad's selling point—"Not What You Pay But What You Get"—appeals to value-conscious consumers by focusing on durability and endurance rather than price. The company promises that neighbors' positive experiences with their tires will match the buyer's own. There is no satire or political commentary present. This is straightforward commercial advertising from the automobile industry's early era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Heavy Car Type For Any Rim Not What You Pay But What You Get Important Thing When You Buy Tires For fourteen years we have been building high grade tires. From the beginning our reputation for QUALITY GOODS and for FAIR DEALING has been of steady growth. Our long experience in quality tire building pro- duced eighteen months ago a tire whose strength and balance (or equal resistance to wear) had not been paralleled. We had reason to believe that tire to he as near perfection as anything made of rubber and made by man could be. The intervening year and a half has only strength- ened our belief. Regardless of cost, we have held absolutely to the construction and quality then estab- lished, and are confident we have an unequalled tire. That is why we have urgently and repeatedly invited investigation of the Fisk Product before orders were’ placed. Why we say again that any Fisk user will tell you that our HEAVY CAR TYPE tires hold a phenomenal record for endurance. That our factory is modern, that our workmen are educated by us to do the work for which each is responsible, that our materials are highest grad our methods up-to-date and that our experience of long standing may be of interest to you, BUT— THE VITAL FACT TO YOU IS—that we are making tires that are dependable—that we have a strong balanced construction which means a_uni- formly satisfactory production—that your neigh- bor's experience with FISK HEAVY CAR TYPE tires will be YOUR experience. Be Sure to Get “FISK HEAVY CAR TYPE” on every tire you buy. It stands for exclusive construction, quality and maximum mileage. THE FISK RUBBER COMPANY Department S. CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS. Direct Factory Branches in 35 Cities