Life — July 18, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **Michelin Tire advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes Michelin's "traction surface" tire technology by comparing tire wear to pencil eraser wear—small projections wear away quickly, while broad, flat surfaces last longer. The illustration shows the Michelin Man (Bibendum, their mascot) holding a wire screen against a tire's tread, demonstrating how to count contact points. The ad claims this proves Michelin tires have superior durability due to their flat traction surface. **No political or social satire is present.** This is straightforward early 20th-century advertising copy explaining a product feature to consumers, appearing in *Life* magazine alongside satirical content—a common practice of the era.