Life, 1922-07-06 · page 4 of 36
Life — July 6, 1922 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **commercial advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page features a product endorsement for Fisk Tires using a memorable mascot: a **drowsy or yawning child in oversized pajamas and slippers**, holding a tire. This figure became iconic in American advertising during the early 20th century, representing the "Fisk boy"—used to suggest drivers should replace worn tires before falling asleep at the wheel. The advertisement uses the child's tired appearance as a visual pun, humorously implying that driving on worn tires is dangerous enough to cause drowsiness. The tagline "Time to Re-Tire? (Buy Fisk)" reinforces this message. The text emphasizes practical buying advice: examine tire quality carefully before purchase, comparing reputation, construction, and visible features. No political or satirical content is present—this is straightforward consumer marketing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
How to buy tires UY a tire as you buy your wearing apparel— on the strength of its reputa- tion, your confidence in the maker and the man who sells it and on its obvious points of superior excellence. You buy nothing else with- out looking it over before purchase. Why except so important a thing as a tire? There are some pretty good tires; there are very few that stand close inspec- tion and. comparison and show surpassing quality. Ifa tire has unusual bigness, if it has a sturdy, deep-cut tread design, if its clean, good looks denote care in construction and most of all if it flexes under your hand in a way to indicate it is springy, yet strong and tough, you can buy with full confidence in your in- vestment. Examine a Fisk Tire, compare it with others point for point and see how far the Fisk excels in these qualities so es- sential to satisfaction and low cost mileage. There’s a Fisk Tire of extra value in every size, for car, truck or speed wagon Time to-Re-tire? (Buy Fisk) ‘FAADE MARK REG. U.8.PAT. OFF. comicbooks.com Pe) a