Life — July 26, 1917 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily a **Fisk Tire advertisement**, not political satire. The headline "There is only one genuine RED TOP and that is FISK" promotes the tire brand's distinctive red-topped rubber products. The image shows a man and woman posing with an automobile and Fisk tires. The "Red Top" branding refers to the tire's visual design feature—a red stripe or marking on the tire sidewall that distinguished Fisk products from competitors. The text emphasizes Fisk's tire service network ("more than one hundred and twenty-five Fisk Branches") and claims about quality and safety. This is straightforward commercial advertising typical of Life magazine's revenue model, using an attractive couple and automotive imagery to sell automobile products to early 20th-century consumers.