Life, 1920-02-26 · page 33 of 40
Life — February 26, 1920 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **not a cartoon or satire—it's a Goodyear tire advertisement** disguised as editorial content in *Life* magazine. The layout mimics a testimonial article: a quote from "W. S. Devenwater" (a contract hauler in Grand Rapids) claims pneumatic cord tires outperformed solid tires, especially in wet conditions, increasing his daily hauls. The body text then elaborates on Goodyear's "Cord construction" technology as revolutionary for heavy-duty trucks. The images show the tires in action—a truck hauling gravel and a close-up of the tire itself. **What modern readers miss:** This is native advertising before that term existed. By framing product claims as a customer success story and technical explanation rather than explicit promotion, Goodyear gained credibility. The industrial context matters: pneumatic tires were genuinely newer technology replacing solid rubber, making this a legitimate competitive advantage worth advertising to fleet operators and trucking companies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wipe TONG At oe ttf aa: 0. by The Goodyear Tire & Ktu' a fhe hauling yardage on contract my truck on Goodyear Cord Tires has made six to cight more round trips, of ten miles each, per day than any solid-tired truck on the same work. During a recent rainy spell my truck on Goodyear Cords was the only one hauling gravel to a mixer—the solid-tired trucks were stopped by soft going. This means money to me.”—W. S. Devenwater, Contract Hauling, Grand Rapids, Michigan T! IIS report reflects that tremendous country-wide experience which has demonstrated that the per- fected pneumatic truck tire completely removes the handicaps of hauling on solid tires. In pointing to the benefits of pneumatic traction, cush- ioning and nimbleness, it particularly reflects the vital results of Goodyear Cord construction, originated by Goodyear several years ago. Goodyear Cord construction has made possible that decisive combination of resilience and toughness which, in turn, has made pneumatics entirely practical for heavy duty. It is this original Goodyear method of manufacture that has been the foundation of all those qualities of the pneumatic truck tire which cause it to supplant the solid tire. It has furnished the basis of that pioneering work which has produced Goodyear Cord Tires for trucks, also Tubes, Rims and Repair Materials, and the engine pumps, wheels, air gauges, and vulcanizing equipment made with Goodyear co-operation. Its economy is written in the records of Goodyear’s Akron-to- Boston Express, Akron-to-Cleveland Freight Line, Goodyear Heights Bus Service, and in many other fields of transport. Cost data, detailing the advantages of pneumatic truck tires as compared with solid tires, can be obtained by writing to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, at Akron, Ohio. CODE YEAR CORD TIRES comicbooks.com