Life, 1917-09-20 · page 6 of 40
Life — September 20, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward advertisement for Marathon Hand Made Tires, appearing in *Life* magazine (page 450). The image shows an athlete in classical pose, arm raised triumphantly while perched on a large tire. The ad uses an extended metaphor: just as trained athletes develop uniform physical strength through careful training, Marathon tires are built with meticulous hand-craftsmanship to ensure uniform strength throughout, preventing weak spots that cause failure. The copy emphasizes quality control — each tire is hand-inspected at multiple stages. The ad positions Marathon as a premium product, costing more than machine-made competitors but offering superior durability and reliability. **The company:** The Marathon Tire & Rubber Co., based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (with a Canadian factory).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
450 Oe CHO OKOKOAOROMOAE ONC OIG DOHC K@ Marathon Hand Made Tires are built like a thoroughly % trained athlete; they are the toughest tires that money can buy. one FIN 6 alike; when an athlete breaks down it’s almost invariably because of a weak spot: his trainer tries to develop him so that heart—lungs—muscles— nerves will be uniformly efficient. Tae and athletes are a good deal FIN FIN VOOM MOK PTET TOPTOPICOIIC Just so with tires; when they break down it is always in a spot—that spot being weak, suffers because of the strength of other parts. The result is a wonderful tire; a tire on which we stake our reputation and our hopes of goodwill as broad as the use of tires. Nothing but human intelligence and human attention, and human hands can produce a tire of absolute uniform strength in every part. Marathons will cost you a little more Marathon tires are built entirely by than you’ve been paying for machine hand; one layer after another of the made tires; how much more they will finest pure rubber and the best fabric in give you you'll only know by trying the market is put on, and each step is them; it will be a very profitable ex- not only made by an expert but an- periment for you. : other expert inspects that step before o- it is O. K.’d and the next step is under- Write us and let us tell you about pneu- taken. matic tires; vou’ll be interested. b) E look upon Marathon tires as our business representatives: we are willing to build our re putation on the satisfaction you get in using them; and your complaint made to us about a Merathon tire that doesn’t properly represent that spirit, will yet as prompt atten- tion as if you complained about the act of an employee of our company THE MARATHON TIRE & RUBBER CO. CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO CANADIAN FACTORY, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO PAOLO OOOO) J) 4X J 4) ©) ©) ~~ comicbooksieemiy