Life, 1913-07-03 · page 8 of 48
Life — July 3, 1913 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an **advertisement, not political satire or commentary**. It's a full-page ad for Kelly-Springfield Automobile Tires, appearing in Life magazine. The image shows a tire with what appears to be a hand emerging from or gripping it, illustrating the advertiser's claim that their tires are "Hand Made." The ad's pitch emphasizes that the rubber compound used in Kelly-Springfield tires requires hand manufacturing to achieve durability—a marketing angle suggesting superior quality compared to competitors. The ad explicitly states "no other prominent tire manufacturers produce either hand made tires or a rubber composition backed by seventeen years' experience." This reflects early automotive-era advertising, when "hand made" was marketed as a sign of quality and craftsmanship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ISPRIES Kelly-Springfield Automobile Tires Hand The rubber compound used in Kelly-Springfield Tires couldn't wear so long if the tires weren't hand made. Which means a good deal when you come to think that no other prominent tire manufacturers produce either hand made tires or a rubber composition backed by seventeen years’ experience. Kelly-Springfield Tire Co., Cor. Bway & 57th St., N. Y. Branch offices in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Bostoa, St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Baltimore, Seattle, Ailanta. Akroa, O., Buffalo ‘The Heam Tite & Rubber Co., Columbes, O. Southern Hardware & Weodstock Co. Lid., New Orleans, La, ing Tire & Rubber Co., Houston, Texas Atkinson Tire & Supply Co., Jacksonville, Fla. Bow Rubber Co., Denver, Colo. ‘Central Rubber & Supply Co., Todd Rubber Co., New Haven, Conn. €. D, Franke & Co., Charleston, S.C. H.R. Olmstead & Son, Syracuse, N.Y, K&S Auto Tire Company, Limited, Toronto comicbooks.com