Life, 1917-09-20 · page 2 of 40
Life — September 20, 1917 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Michelin Tire advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page features "The Quest of the Perfect Tube," a marketing poem claiming Michelin makes the finest inner tubes. The ad uses a humorous rhetorical structure: it poses the question "which inner tube is best?" to dealers, drivers, and doctors, then provides the answer—Michelin—with the tagline "Take my tip and try one, / And you'll surely see." The illustration depicts the Michelin Man (Bibendum) standing over various professional groups (dealers, drivers, doctors, bankers) labeled as crowds below him, suggesting their universal agreement with the product's superiority. This is straightforward early-20th-century advertising through verse rather than satire or political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Chass Mall Mater, iment, Canad. The Quest of the Perfect Tube Ask a dozen dealers (Try this simple test) : MICHELIN “Toner tube Which brand is the best?” o569/ Ask a dozen drivers (Quite a curious quest): “Inner tubes are legion, Which tube leads the rest?” are many, Ask a dozen doctors (Bankers, bakers, too) : “Tnner tubes are num'rous, What's the make for you?” Ask! You know the answer (Everyone will say): “MICIIELIN makes finest Inner tubes today!” Ask why are they finest, (All replies agree) : “Take my tip and try o1 And you'll surely TIRE CO. Milltown, New Jersey comicbookseqrg