Life, 1919-12-18 · page 39 of 56
Life — December 18, 1919 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Goodyear tire advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It uses a dramatic visual demonstration to market inner tubes. The page shows a photograph of deep ruts in a rough country road, claiming these are actual impressions made by a Goodyear-equipped car. The advertisement argues that if tires can withstand such brutal terrain, imagine the punishment the inner tubes inside must endure. The copy emphasizes that Goodyear's "Heavy Tourist Tubes" are built from "layer-upon-layer of pure gum strips" and reliably hold air despite harsh conditions. The pitch concludes that more Goodyear tubes are used than competitors' products—a claim meant to signal market dominance and consumer trust. This is early-20th-century product advertising using durability and real-world evidence (the road photograph) as selling points to automobile owners.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
This isan actual photograph of the impression left ona rough country road by a Goody ear Tire Asyoupicture the large Goodyear-shod car plung- ing through these ruts, think what punishment was imposed upon the Goodyear Heavy Tourist Tubes. Built up layer-upon-layer of pure gum strips, these thick grey tubes hold air unfailingly and protect the tires which enclose them. More Goodyear Tubes are used than any other kind.