Life, 1920-05-06 · page 39 of 56
Life — May 6, 1920 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Goodyear Tire advertisement**, not satire. Published in 1920, it promotes Goodyear's manufacturing philosophy and product quality to *Life* magazine readers. The photograph shows factory workers manufacturing a tire in Goodyear's Akron, Ohio facility. The accompanying text emphasizes that Goodyear's competitive advantage stems from recruiting talented young men from technical colleges, training them through factory schools, and maintaining high standards throughout production. The advertisement's core message—that superior tires result from superior workforce management—was a common corporate narrative of the early 20th century. It appeals to contemporary American values: ambitious youth, technical education, meritocracy, and craftsmanship. The "human mainspring" metaphor suggests workers are the engine driving manufacturing excellence. This reflects Progressive Era confidence in industrial efficiency and the dignity of skilled labor, before such claims became subjects of labor-movement critique.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Human Mainspring of Manufacturing Progress B*Co 1 year, representatives of this Company visit the leading technical colleges of America, recruit new energy and intelligence for this busine: Young men in such schools who have displayed un- usual proficiency and application in their courses are offered at Goodyear the beginning of a career. Through our own factory schools, 0, continually flows an advancing stream of manhood, made ready for the larger things this business holds for its people. In this way that invaluable union of experience and ardor, which is the human mainspring of manufac- turing progress, constantly is renewed and refreshed. The remarkably fine character of Goodyear Cord Tires is due in great part to the type of ambitious i telligence made available to them by this policy. Every phase of their manufacture, from the growing of the raw materials to their final scrupulous inspection, repeatedly has known betterment from this source. The results of this effort, as seen in Goodyear Cord performance, underlie the commanding position held by these tires in the regard of motorists everywhere. Because Goodyear Tires and the sincere conservation service behind them afford unmatched satisfaction, more people ride on Goodyear Tires than on any other kind. » a TT ORT COLE ET res bad actual photograph, taken in one of the cure rooms of the Goodyear Maeres at Akron, shows a Goodyear Tire in process Of construction GOOD CORD TIRES Copyright 1920, by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, comicbooks.com