Life, 1919-09-04 · page 2 of 48
Life — September 4, 1919 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a United States Tires company advertisement for "Royal Cord" brand tires, published in *Life* magazine. The ad uses an illustration of an early automobile navigating dramatic canyon scenery to suggest durability and adventure. The accompanying text emphasizes that Royal Cord tires offer beauty *plus* hidden structural qualities—superior durability that reveals itself through extended use and "extra service." The headline "More than 'Skin Deep'" plays on the common expression to argue that these tires have inner strength beyond their surface appearance. A large tire image dominates the right side of the page. This reflects early 20th-century automotive advertising emphasizing reliability and performance during an era when tire quality significantly affected vehicle safety and capability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
More than “Skin Deep” ‘Royal Cord’ beauty is ~zore than “skin deep”. Good-looking as is this famous tire, its rea/ beauty lies beneath the tread. ‘Royal Cord’ one of the five Built into the ‘Royal Cord’ are remarkable hidden values. “Hidden”, because they make their appearance only after the tire has become a tried veteran of the road—after long, hard service that would end the usefulness of : ordinary tires. | \ These “hidden” values prove up in extra miles and extra dependability. They manifest themselves in the extra service that has made ‘Royal Cords’ so popular among motorists who insist upon having the best. United States Tires ¥7 |\ are Good Tires