Life, 1918-03-14 · page 31 of 40
Life — March 14, 1918 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine is a straightforward advertisement for Republic Tires, manufactured by the Republic Rubber Corporation of Youngstown, Ohio. It promotes their proprietary "Prodium Process" for treating rubber, claiming it makes tires exceptionally durable and long-wearing—"more like steel than rubber." The ad features two tire images showing the "Staggard Tread" pattern and emphasizes benefits like even wear, increased mileage, and "maximum grip with minimum friction." The copywriting uses typical early 20th-century advertising rhetoric, appealing to consumers' record-keeping and testimonials to verify claims. There is no satire, no political commentary, and no cartoon. This is commercial marketing from an era when *Life* magazine mixed editorial content with paid advertisements.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Prodium Process and Republic Tires The long life of Republic Tires is not due to chance. It is the result of definite, positive qualities in Republic rubber. These qualities make the tread rubber in Republic Tires unusually tough and strong. It makes the tires wear down slowly and evenly — more like steel, as we have said before, than rubber. And these qualities in Republic Rubber are the direct fruits of a special process. This system of treating the rubber is called the Prodium Process. It is a real, tangible and almost invaluable advantage enjoyed only by Republic Tires. It produces remarkable results in increased mileage. Any Republic user who has kept records of wear and use will gladly confirm these facts for you. Republic Inner Tubes, both Black- Line Red and Gray, have a repu- tation for freedom from trouble The Republic Rubber Corporation Youngstown, Ohio Originator of the First Effective Rubber Non-Skid Tire Republic Staggard Tread Republic SqtAGGaARD mn sen ce-azoee Tread Maximum Grip with Minimum Friction comicbooks.com