Life, 1915-03-11 · page 35 of 48
Life — March 11, 1915 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a full-page **advertisement, not satire or a cartoon**. It promotes "Nobby Tread" tires manufactured by the United States Tire Company. The image shows two automobile wheels with treaded tires, visually demonstrating the product's tread pattern design. The ad targets first-time car buyers in the early automotive era, using testimonial marketing: it claims experienced motorists who've owned multiple vehicles repeatedly choose "Nobby Tread" tires, suggesting this validates the product's quality. Key selling points emphasized: - 5,000-mile warranty coverage - Anti-skid properties - Exceptional mileage performance - Availability at major dealers nationwide The advertisement's tone warns against substitutes and positions the tire as essential for those "buying your first car this spring," reflecting the era when automobile ownership was still relatively new and consumers needed guidance on components and reliability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nobby Reg. U. S. Pat. Office Watch the “Nobby Treads” On Fifth Avenue, New York On Commonwealth Avenue, Boston On Broad Street, Philadelphia On Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington On Euclid Avenue, Cleveland On Michigan Avenue, Chicago On Woodward Avenue, Detroit On Broadway, Denver On Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco On leading streets of cities and towns everywhere On Every Thoroughfare see the tremendous number of “ Nobby Tread” Tires on cars everywhere—you will find that men who have owned two, or three, or four cars—men who have experimented—use “‘ Nobby Tread” Tires. If you are buying your first car this spring, have it equipped with “ Nobby Tread ” Tires. Start right,—take the advice of these veteran motorists,—and save expensive, useless experimenting. “Nobby Tread” Tires are now sold under our regular warranty—perfect workmanship and material—BUT any adjustments are on a basis of 5,000 Miles Thousands upon thousands of veteran motorists now use “Nobby Tread” Tires on their front and rear wheels through all seasons, because they are such phenomenal mileage tires and real anti- skid tires. United States Tire Company DO NOT BE TALKED INTO A SUBSTITUTE Your own dealer or any reliable dealer can supply you with “Nobby Tread” Tires. If he has no stock on hand, insist that he get them for you at once—or go to another dealer. NOTE THIS:—Dealers who sell UNITED STATES TIRES sell the best of everything.