Life, 1918-04-25 · page 2 of 40
Life — April 25, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire**. It's a Michelin Tire Company advertisement from *Life* magazine promoting Michelin Tubes. The ad claims that Michelin discovered a compounding process preventing rubber degradation. The illustration shows six tire tubes under test—apparently half-Michelin, half-competitor tubes cemented together—demonstrating durability through actual use and destruction testing. The cartoon figure (the famous Michelin Man mascot) oversees the demonstration. The ad argues Michelin tubes "last longer" despite costing "no more than other makes," with tests supposedly repeated "many times, always with the same result." This is straightforward product promotion using comparative testing as evidence, not political or social satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
an actual test of tube life Many years ago the Michelin Tire Company discovered a compounding-process which pre- vents rubber from becoming brittle or porous with age. The superior durability which this process im- parts to Michelin Tubes is evidenced by the photograph reproduced below. Each of the tubes here shown was made by cementing half a Michelin Tube to half a tube of another make. MICHELIN TIRE CO. MILLTOWN. N. J. These composite tubes were then run to de- struction in actual service. Notice that when all the other sections had blown out, the Michelin sections remained intact. The test has been repeated many times, always with the same result - - conclusive evidence that Michelin Tubes do last longer, though they cost no more than other makes. ' 4 k