Life — May 13, 1920 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts two well-dressed men relaxing in comfortable chairs beside a vintage automobile, with a chauffeur visible in the background. The dialogue reads: "What mileage do you get out of those tires?" / "Mileage? You don't reckon the life of a Kelly-Springfield by miles—you reckon it by years." **The joke:** This is an advertisement disguised as humor. It satirizes the typical conversation between affluent car owners discussing tire performance. The punchline promotes Kelly-Springfield brand tires by suggesting their durability is so exceptional that measuring their lifespan by mere mileage is inadequate—years are needed instead. The cartoon reflects early 20th-century advertising strategy, combining class-conscious imagery (wealthy gentlemen, chauffeur) with product endorsement through supposedly witty dialogue. It's fundamentally marketing copy presented as satire.