Life — September 4, 1919 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page from Life magazine (page 383) contains a humorous short story rather than political satire. The illustration shows a couple in an open-air automobile from approximately 1919, speeding along a road. The joke centers on tire reliability. The man worries they won't reach their destination by midnight to buy a final bottle of wine (suggesting Prohibition's impending enforcement on June 30, 1919). The woman reassures him they're safe because they have "Kelly-Springfield Cord tires"—a real tire brand known for durability. The man's punchline: they'll have a blowout, but not while driving. This is essentially an advertisement disguised as entertainment, promoting Kelly-Springfield tires through humor. The Prohibition reference dates it precisely to 1919.