Life, 1918-04-18 · page 2 of 40
Life — April 18, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This is primarily a **Fisk Cord tire advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes Fisk brand automobile tires through the "Life" magazine, a humor publication that also carried advertisements. The ad emphasizes six selling points: size, strength, safety, appearance, economy, and quality. The central image displays a Fisk tire's distinctive tread pattern and sidewall branding. A small Fisk Company logo—their trademark mascot, the "Fisk Boy"—appears in the lower left corner. The copy claims that Fisk Service Branches throughout the country provide customer care that "adds miles to your tires—and dollars to your pocket," a typical early-20th-century advertising pitch emphasizing both product quality and customer service infrastructure. This represents standard commercial advertising from the tire industry's early automotive era.