Life, 1920-01-22 · page 5 of 36
Life — January 22, 1920 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a straightforward **product advertisement**, not political satire. It features a testimonial from an unnamed motorist (left) speaking with a garage mechanic (right) about brake lining quality. The ad uses a common early-20th-century sales technique: the honest tradesman endorsement. The speaker explains he learned to prioritize brake safety over cheaper alternatives, now exclusively buying Raybestos brand because it's "guaranteed to wear one year" with reliable stopping power. The humor is gentle—the setup presents brake failure as a serious hazard ("by George, if you don't stop quickly, something happens"), making the pivot to Raybestos seem like practical wisdom rather than marketing. The cone-shaped brake lining sample displayed at bottom emphasizes the product's tangible quality. This reflects early automotive safety consciousness when brake reliability was genuinely unpredictable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ When I buy Brake I look for wear. You can gamble with tires if you wish, or oil or spark plugs, but you can’t take chances with the brakes. You know how it is. Once in a while, the other fellow does the unexpected, or a kid runs across the road and by George, if you don’t stop quickly, something happens. That’s why I’m fussy about my brakes. I used to buy any lining the garage man had. Thought they were all the same. I’ve learned a lesson. Now, | buy Raybestos. It’s guaranteed to wear one year—no matter how far you travel, and believe me, it WEARS. If you like to feel the brakes grip when you press the pedal—line ’em with Raybestos.”’ Experienced motorists realize the importance of good brakes. That is the reason for the popularity of Raybestos. There are substitutes Avoid them. When you ask for Raybestos. look for the Silver Edy: THE RAYBESTOS COMPANY BRIDGEPORT, CONN. comicbooks.com