Life, 1918-01-17 · page 35 of 40
Life — January 17, 1918 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**, but rather a **straightforward product advertisement** for Federal Tires, published in *Life* magazine (page 115). The image shows oversized tires dominating a New York City street filled with automobiles, meant to emphasize the product's prominence and reliability. The ad claims Federal Tires are used by "thousands" of American cars and highlights technical features: an "unstretchable cable base" that prevents the tire from slipping on the rim, resistance to blowouts, and even wear. The text emphasizes durability and cost-effectiveness—standard advertising claims of the era. The company manufactured various rubber products and operated factories in Cudahy, Wisconsin. There is no political commentary or satire present. This represents typical early-20th-century automotive advertising, when tire quality was a genuine selling point as automobile ownership expanded.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Thousands of Cars in the United States Are 4 USANDS of people in the d States use « z cl Tires because the the one and only one wl fers the pi c| ments that prolong service and lessen cost Unstretchable base of Federal tires nchor them so firmly to the rim hey cannot possibly rock or slip off, Manufacturers of Federal Automobile Tires, Tubes and Sundries. Motorcycle, Bi Equipped With F ederal Tires addition, Also blow-outs just above the rim more are: prevented contribute to longer we; me an ty and ultimate economy This exclusive feature also per- ; ‘ mits use of a soft, flexible bead — Such as perfect fabric tension and filler. balance of materials! The ordinary hard, sharp-pointed Federal Tires wear evenly and bead filler cuts and grinds into intain the fabric and destroys the tire gainst the tire’s carcass structure TEMEIM ES Federa are “extra “ederal Tires! Rim cut as climinated absolutely In Not so with THE FEDERAL RUBBER COMPANY, OF ILLINOIS Factories, Cudahy, Wisconsin Tiere Shoe Bade, Robber Matting and Mechanical Rubber G uniform pressure service” o our non-skid Rugges (white) and fik (black) is our Cord (black) —all three with the exclusive Double Cable Base. Federal Dealer pany vital ad constr save you mon je and Carriage Tires, Rubber Heels, comicbooks.com