Life, 1913-03-27 · page 43 of 60
Life — March 27, 1913 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a straightforward **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Kelly-Springfield tires through a photograph of a woman's face framed within a tire—a visual metaphor emphasizing the product's quality and reliability. The ad's messaging targets "the experienced motorist," arguing that tire quality cannot be faked or oversold. The tagline claims Kelly-Springfield earned its reputation honestly: "we have never tried to make motorists think there was" a substitute for quality—essentially positioning the brand as truthful rather than deceptive. The imagery appears designed to be eye-catching and memorable, though modern viewers might find the framing of a woman's face within the tire objectifying by contemporary standards. This reflects early 20th-century advertising conventions.
📄 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 The experienced motorist has learned that there.is no sub- stitute for quality in an automobile tire. Kelly-Springfield Tires have their reputation today simply because we have never tried to make motorists think there was. Kelly-Springfield Tire Co., 20 Vesey St., New York Beanch offices in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Se Lavin, Devoit, Cincinnati, ‘San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Baltimore, Seattle, ‘The Hear Tire & Rubber Co.. Columbus, ©. Southern Hardware & Weodktock Co, Lad., New Orleans, La, “Fee & Raber Co Huta, Team Bea Rather Go Bemwen ‘Cole Fed Ratber Go, New Haves, Conn, comicbooks.com