Life, 1912-11-07 · page 39 of 60
Life — November 7, 1912 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or political content. It promotes Kelly-Springfield Tires to early automobile owners (likely 1910s-1920s era, based on the vehicle designs shown). The image features a woman in period dress holding a tire, positioned above text emphasizing tire durability and reliability. The top shows a photograph of early automobiles parked in front of what appears to be an official building, suggesting prestige and trustworthiness. The ad's argument is straightforward: Kelly-Springfield tires outlast competitors, reducing replacement costs. The phrase "you are not experimenting" suggests buyers should trust the brand's proven track record rather than risk inferior alternatives. The central message reflects an era when tire quality directly affected automobile practicality—unreliable tires made cars genuinely unusable for long distances. This was a serious selling point, not humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Kelly-Springfield Automobile Tires a matter of fact, dependable tires are the basis of real auto- mobile usefulness. Kelly-Springfield road mileage is a few thousand miles higher than the average. That reduces the cost of the tire. The easy resiliency of Kelly-Springfield Tires is one phase of our argument. But stanchness and durabil- ity, born of the best rubber composition, skill and the incentive to make good tires better, offer a reason even more convincing—wear. When you buy Kelly-Springfield Tires you are not experiment- ing. We have done that for you. Kelly-Springfield Tire Company, 20 Vesey St., New York New York Philadelphia St. Louis Cincinnati Los Angeles Baltimore Seattle | Akron, O. Branch Offices in Chicago Boston Detroit San Francisco Cleveland Washington Atlanta Buffalo Rubber Co. Appel & Borwell se ibber & Tire Co. Bering Tir ie Rubber Co. Todd Rubber Company The Hearn Tire & Rubber Co. ‘or er, Colo. s, Texas How yuston New Haven, Conn. Columbus, O. 2159 comicbooks.com