Life, 1922-05-18 · page 2 of 34
Life — May 18, 1922 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Michelin Red Inner Tubes, featuring the company's iconic mascot—Bibendum, the rotund "Michelin Man" made of stacked tire rings (visible at bottom right). The advertisement emphasizes a technical advantage: Michelin's ring-shaped inner tubes conform naturally to tire casings without stretching or wrinkling, unlike competitors' straight tubes that must wrinkle to fit. The cross-section diagram illustrates this design difference. The copy addresses automobile owners directly, asking them to verify Michelin's superiority. Headquarters are listed as Milltown, New Jersey, with factories in France, England, and Italy. This represents early automotive-era marketing emphasizing engineering innovation over style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Illustration shows sections of a Michelin tube and of another standard make ce- mented together and piaced in half a casing. inted in New York, a ost Office Department, Canada, tish Possessions. Michelin Red Inner Tubes being : ring-shaped like all casings fit—> \ without stretching or wrinkling. Other tubes being straight, must —~q— wrinkle in an attempt to conform to the shape of the casing. Ask any automobile owner what make of inner tube is best. Michelin Tire Company, Milltown, N. J. Other factories: Clermont-Ferrand, France; London, England; Turin, Italy. Dealers in all parts of the world. 4 comicbooks.com