Life, 1917-12-06 · page 67 of 92
Life — December 6, 1917 — page 67: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **tire advertisement**, not political satire. It's a B.F. Goodrich Company ad for Silvertown Cord Tires, published in *Christmas Life* magazine. The single illustration shows a hand marking or stamping the Red-Double-Diamond trademark onto a tire's sidewall. The visual metaphor emphasizes quality assurance—the act of "marking" signals authenticity and superior craftsmanship. The ad's key selling points are: - The Red-Double-Diamond trademark identifies genuine Silvertown tires - Cable-cord, two-ply rubber-fused construction provides durability - Resistance to "tire fever" (frictional heat damage) - Association with "modish" (fashionable) automobiles The tagline "Silvertowns make all cars high-grade" suggests that quality tires elevate a vehicle's status and performance. This reflects early-20th-century consumer culture, when tire quality significantly affected driving experience and car prestige. No political or social satire is evident—this is straightforward commercial messaging dressed in period advertising style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Goodrich also makes the fam- ous fabric tires— Black Safety T; ase -CHRISTMAS LIFE- 2 Oy Fair Treatment of Tire Quality 9 OU can always tell a Silvertown Cord Tire by its graceful lines, but you make sure of it by the RED-DOUBLE-DIAMOND, the hall-mark of tire quality inlaid neatly on its side-wall. Note as you pass tires that you find tires with the Red-Double-Diamond trademark on motcr cars of modish appearance only. GOODRICH SILVERTOWN CORD TIRES Which dress a car with an individual style, also lift it to a new level of comfort and service. The Red Double Diamond outside means a CABLE-CORD, TWO- PLY, RUBBER-FUSED body in- side—the real cord tire body, found only in Silvertowns. The smartness outside tastefully clothes the strength and durability inside—a sinewy tire body, immune to tire fever (frictional heat), and free from tire trouble. You are proud of a car with Silvertowns. THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY, The City of Goodrich, Akron, Ohio eee comicbooks.com “Silvertowns make all cars high-grade”