Life — August 16, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for tire chains manufactured by the American Chain Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The ad promotes tire chains for winter driving safety, endorsed by major automobile insurers (Aetna Life Insurance Company and others). The imagery shows a hand installing chains on a tire, with insurance policy documents displayed to emphasize legitimacy. The key selling point: insurance companies officially recommend tire chains as "the only really dependable device for the prevention of skidding" on wet or slippery roads. This endorsement from insurance providers—who have financial incentive to reduce accidents—serves as the advertisement's primary credibility marker for modern readers unfamiliar with early automotive winter equipment.