Life, 1918-06-20 · page 2 of 36
Life — June 20, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Michelin Tire advertisement**, not political satire. The page features the famous "Michelin Man" (Bibendum) character—the rotund, tire-bodied mascot recognizable by his segmented appearance. The advertisement's central message plays on **price versus quality**: Michelin tires are claimed to be simultaneously superior in durability *and* moderately priced compared to competitors. The cartoon shows a customer (left) apparently surprised or pleased by the pricing proposition offered by the Michelin Man (center), who gestures toward stacked tires. The visual joke relies on the Michelin Man's distinctive appearance itself—his tire-constructed body literally embodies the product being sold. This is straightforward commercial messaging rather than political or social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
plished every Toursday. Five Dollars. Single Price ia England, Sixpence. Michelin: Tires are recognized the world over as unsurpassed for dura- bility at any price, Yet they are priced far lower than other tires of anything like equal quality. Hatered at the Post Of Entered as Second Clas Copyright io Second Class Mail Matter. Deparment, Canada The moderate price of Michelin Tires is made possible by the superior experi- ence of Michelin, the world’s oldest tire maker, and by the economical efficiencv of the entire Michelin organization. MICHELIN TIRE CO., MILLTOWN, N. J. Wholesale factory branches in many important cities Dealers in all parts of the world This w ound bus Quantit betories United | ation at mbber e2 xcumula stablis America, The bu bystanda tssure bal dependat comicbook sco