Life, 1917-07-26 · page 33 of 40
Life — July 26, 1917 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**, but rather a full-page advertisement for Marathon Tire & Rubber Co. (based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with a Canadian factory). The decorative illustration at top shows a classical male figure in an oval frame, evoking luxury and quality—reinforcing the brand's claim to be "aristocrats of the tire world." The ad's central argument targets early-20th-century consumer skepticism: it acknowledges that hand-made products *should* be expensive, implying that cheap "hand-made" tires are fraudulent (using machinery or inferior materials instead). Marathon positions itself as genuinely premium—built layer-by-layer with careful inspection, emphasizing strength through quality rather than bulk. The italicized statement near the bottom emphasizes customer service and company reputation, treating customer complaints seriously—a notable selling point when manufacturing quality was inconsistent and consumer protections minimal. This represents period advertising strategy: appealing to class consciousness and quality-awareness during the early automotive tire market.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
153 PICOIUICIONONNAI” ANE 460% f JON * ‘A . a USSSA MARATHON TIRES ARE THE ARISTOCRATS OF THE TIRE WORLD ‘They are made by hand with the most painstaking care yee don’t expect hand-made tires to be low in price; they can’t be. Whenever a high grade hand-made tire begins to get low in price you may be sure that either machinery is doing some of the ‘hand work”’ or cheaper material is being used. Marathon Tires are built; step by step, the | Every step is inspected for strength and finest fabrics and the purest, best rubber are — toughness; the final product is the perfection built into these tires, one layer on another, of graceful compactness; no excess bulk over-lapping like the muscles of the athlete. | added to make thickness instead of strength. FE look upon Marathon tires as our business representa- W tives: we are willing to build our reputation on the satisfaction you get in using them; and your complaint made to us about a’ Marathon tire that doesn’t properly represent that spirit, will get as prompt attention as if you complained about the act of an employee of our company. Gt, THE MARATHON TIRE & RUBBER CO. SW 24 CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO yen Se CANADIAN FACTORY, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO 5 4 24 ) iN y wt SY ‘ v) Ik f° B) > v/ iS \ OF: A ieoie tie iiedite rari elle A esl Psy hl halal] eu lew OT ial _ Hist DB = \\ WOO De PUVAUOOCOGVOMOGOON Ole) v Gor y se > < ~ a xu | comicbooks.com