Life — September 23, 1920 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is **not a cartoon or satire**, but rather a straightforward **automobile tire advertisement** from Life magazine (page 525). The ad promotes Goodrich Silvertown Cord Tires, emphasizing durability through the tagline "Best in the Long Run." The illustrated vignette shows a car parked at a residential home, suggesting reliability for everyday family use. The copy's central claim—that drivers wonder how many more miles remain even after extensive use—positions the product as exceptionally long-lasting. The fine print cites "The Goodrich Adjustment Basis": Silvertown Cords lasted 8,000 miles; competing fabric tires, 6,000 miles. This represents typical early-20th-century tire marketing, where mileage durability was a major selling point before modern tire technology became standard.