Life, 1918-07-25 · page 3 of 36
Life — July 25, 1918 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement** for United States Tires, not satire. The headline claims tire sales growth is "The Biggest Thing in Motoring History of The Last Year." The illustration shows a giant worker holding an oversized tire above a factory and toy-sized automobiles, emphasizing the company's industrial scale and manufacturing power. This visual metaphor—the worker dwarfing the cars—suggests United States Tires' dominance in the industry. The text argues that motorists should choose these tires based on "countless experienced motorists'" endorsement and availability through service depots. The mention of "war" likely references World War I's impact on industrial production. This is straightforward commercial advertising using hyperbole and industrial imagery rather than political satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE™ MN AA {} NNN nc i ua cc 4 } The Biggest Thing in Motoring History of The Last Year You speak of the growth of the automobile as a romance. Words fail to describe the size or swift- ness of its increase. In a generation, it has revolutionized transpor- tation, It has changed national habits, It ranks third in all our industries. Now in our time of war it has taken a tremen- dous burden of transport, speeding the nation's work a thousand fold. ‘The greatest growth of the motor car industry came in 1917, In the last year the number of cars registered advanced from 3,541,738 to 5,123,874. Almost 50 per cent advance, —more than a million and a half new motorists in a single year. Yet bigger still was the relative advance in sales of United States Tires to the motoring public. More than keeping pace with the motor in- dustry; more than supplying the tire demands of new motorists—the phenomenally increased sales of these good tires was the biggest thing of the motoring year. ‘This growth in United States Tire sales has a real meaning to you. It gives you the judgment of countless experi- enced motorists. They have quit experimenting. ‘They have turned to United States Tires for their known, dependable value. ‘They have made tire-buying the plain, simple business proposition it should be. Equip your car with United States Tires. There is a type exactly suited to your needs. ‘There isa United States Sales and Service Depot nearby to give you every service. For passenger cars—‘Royal Cord’, ‘Nobby’, ‘Chain’, ‘Usco’, ‘Plain’. For commercial cars the Solid Truck Tire and the ‘Nobby Cord’. Also Tires for Motorcycles, Bicycles and Airplanes. United States Tubes and Tire Accessories Have All the Sterling Worth and Wear that Make United States Tires Supreme, United States Tires are Good Tires comicbooks.com