Life, 1921-04-28 · page 4 of 36
Life — April 28, 1921 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. The American Chain Company is promoting Weed Tire Chains—devices attached to vehicle tires for traction in snow and ice. The ad's rhetorical strategy uses a cautionary narrative: "He Left His Chains Behind!" The circled inset shows an empty garage, dramatizing the consequence of forgetfulness. The copy warns drivers not to wait until they feel their car skid before installing chains; instead, drivers should proactively carry and install Weed Chains "at the first drop of rain." The tagline "Weed Tire Chains on your tires reflect your prudence and intelligence" appeals to drivers' sense of responsibility and safety-consciousness. This appears to be vintage (pre-modern winter tire technology), likely early-to-mid 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He Left His Chains Behind!’ weed aes Chains tote et e ara e never stopas 1 Wn eed OME drivers never think always to carry Weed Ti Chains and never think to put them on the ire ates antl ane fee! a skid—then it is . usually too late to do anything, except pray. Chains Don’t wait until you feel your car skid—don’t on yourtires reflect wait until you feel that terror of utter helplessness. your prudence . and intelligence. Make up your mind now always to carry Weed Chains in your car, ALWAYS to put them on the tires at the first drop of rain. AMERICAN CHAIN COMPANY, INC. BRIDGEPORT VW CONNECTICUT In Canada: Dominion Chain Company, Limited, Niagara Falls, Ontario The Complete Chain Line—All Types, Alll Sizes, All Finishes—From Plumbers’ Safety Chain to Ships’ Anchor Chain GENERAL SALES OFFICE: Grand Central Terminal, New York City DISTRICT SALES OFFICES: Boston Chicago Philadelphia Pittsburgh = Portland, Ore. San Francisco Largest Chain Manufacturers in the World TMNT UA 592 comicbooks.com