Life, 1917-01-25 · page 29 of 40
Life — January 25, 1917 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Goodyear tire advertisement**, not political satire. The page uses the U.S. Capitol building as a visual metaphor for stability and permanence to sell automobile tires. The giant tire arches over the Capitol dome, with automobiles passing beneath. The ad's rhetorical strategy compares tire qualities—"pliancy and strength"—to civic virtues like "security and gallantry of conduct," suggesting that buying Goodyear tires is as fundamentally American as the Capitol itself. The advertisement acknowledges higher pricing ("higher-priced—and *better*") while emphasizing durability and reliability. This reflects early automotive marketing that positioned quality tires as essential infrastructure for American progress and mobility. There is no satire or political commentary visible here—it's straightforward corporate advertising using patriotic imagery and architectural grandeur to build brand prestige.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
we IER The administrative center of the American Republie— the National Capitol, Washington, D.C. ‘i Can Give, These Give Two cardinal properties—pliancy and strength —determine the efficiency or incompetence of any automobile tire. On pliancy depends comfort, activity, power- saving and fuel-thrift. On strength rests endurance, economy, secu- rity and gallantry of conduct. In Goodyear Cord Tires both pliancy and strength are combined in a measure never before realized, and to a prowess never before attainable. All the natural elasticity of rubber is united with the resolute stoutness of multiplied cords by their construction. Goodyear Cord Tires ride easier, travel faster, run longer and serve more truly. \\, Their quality makes them higher-priced—and Jetter. Goodyear Tires, Heavy Tourist Tubes and “*Tire Saver’? Accessories are easy to get from Goodyear Service Station Dealers everywhere. == The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio comicbooks.com