Life — August 7, 1913 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a straightforward commercial advertisement, not political satire. It promotes Kelly-Springfield brand automobile tires, emphasizing they are "Hand Made" from durable rubber composition. The central image shows a woman's face and upper body framed within a tire, presenting the product as both functional and aesthetically pleasing. This was a common early-20th-century advertising technique—using attractive female imagery to market industrial products to male consumers (primarily car owners). The ad's claims about "toughest and longest wearing rubber composition" and road-tested durability reflect typical tire manufacturer marketing of the period. The company lists multiple branch offices across major American cities, indicating national distribution. There is no political or satirical content on this page.