Life — April 19, 1917 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **Fisk Tires advertisement**, not political satire. The image shows three cherubic children of increasing size, each wearing or positioned with a Fisk tire labeled "FISKO RED TOP." Toy cars and figures appear at the bottom. The ad's message plays on the sales pitch: "When you pay more than Fisk prices you pay for a thing that does not exist. There is no greater dollar-for-dollar value." The visual metaphor suggests that Fisk tires offer exceptional durability and growth potential—as children grow, Fisk tires grow with them (or last through multiple generations). The Fisk Rubber Company's mascot, the "Fisk Boy" (the small figure upper left), was their trademark symbol used in early-20th-century advertising to convey reliability and longevity.