Life, 1919-02-27 · page 2 of 38
Life — February 27, 1919 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Michelin Tire advertisement**, not political satire. The page appears in *Life* magazine (dated Feb. 27, 1919, based on the header). The ad uses the famous **Michelin Man** mascot (the puffy, tire-constructed character visible in the illustration) to demonstrate tire durability. The "traction surface" refers to the tire's tread pattern—the raised blocks visible on the tire shown. The ad compares tire wear to a pencil eraser: just as small projections wear away, so do tire treads, but Michelin's broad, flat tread surface supposedly lasts longer. This is straightforward product marketing emphasizing durability and superior engineering, not satirical commentary. The Michelin Man became an iconic advertising figure throughout the early-to-mid 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The small eraser on the end of a pencil wears away quickly as compared with an eraser that is‘broad and flat. So likewise the tire tread which consists of small projections wears away quickly as compared with the tread which has a broad flat traction-stirface. In the Michelin Universal three quarters of MICHELIN ‘TIRE COMPANY the entire tread is traction-surface. You can prove this for yourself by holding a piece of wire screen over a part of the tread and comparing the number of squares that touch the raised portion with the number that cover the portion not raised. This is one of many reasons why Michelin Tires are unsurpassed for durability. MILLTOWN, NEW JERSEY comicbooks.com