Life, 1916-03-23 · page 50 of 52
Life — March 23, 1916 — page 50: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for United States Tire Company's "Chain Tread Tires," published in *Life* magazine (page 554). The ad promotes the technical advantages of chain-tread tires, emphasizing two features: "dig-in" (the height of the chain treads gripping pavement) and "suction" (the cup-shaped links holding to the road). These were marketed as particularly effective on wet pavements for preventing skids and slipping. The page lists five tire varieties offered by the company: Chain, Nobby, Usco, Royal Cord, and Plain. The US Rubber Company logo appears at the bottom, identifying the manufacturer's parent corporation. The ad uses technical language and diagrams typical of early automotive marketing, positioning chain treads as the "most efficient moderate-priced anti-skids" available. No satire or political content is present—this is period commercial messaging about tire technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Dig-in and Suction The ‘Chain’ Tread Tire has the two necessary features to prevent skidding and slipping, particularly’on wet pave- ments—the dig-in and the suction. The height of the chain above the surface of the tire gives the dig-in quality. The cup-like shape of the links gives the necessary suction to hold to the road. ‘Chain’ Treads are the most efficient moderate-priced anti-skids in the world. United States Tire Company ‘Chain’ ‘Nobby’ ‘Usco’ ‘Royal Cord’ ‘Plain’ “INDIVIDUALIZED TIRES” comicbooks.com