Life, 1922-08-10 · page 29 of 36
Life — August 10, 1922 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement for Kelly-Springfield tires**, not political satire. The cartoon illustrates a humorous scenario where a car driver urgently wants to catch a train but fears collision with a pillar. His chauffeur reassures him that the car has Kelly tires "all around" and will slow down if needed—suggesting the tires provide superior safety and control. The ad's pitch emphasizes that Kelly-Springfield tires now offer better quality at lower cost than earlier versions, due to improved manufacturing. The joke relies on the contrast between the driver's anxious urgency and the chauffeur's calm confidence in the vehicle's tire quality—implying that good tires enable both speed and safety. This appears to be 1920s-era advertising using humor to promote consumer confidence in an automotive product.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Hey, I want to catch that train, but I’m not fussy about being wrapped around one of these pillars!” “AU right, boss, I got Kellys on all around, but I’ll slow up if you say so.” OT only is the Kelly Kant-Slip Cord as surefooted as a cat, but in the vast majority of cases it gives its owner the kind of uninterrupted mileage that every car-owner dreams of—and that many don’t get. The Kelly-Springfield tires of today are vastly better than the tires on which the Kelly reputation was built, yet they cost much less. More efficient manufacturing processes and greater production have brought the price down. Now, it costs no more to buy a Kelly. comicbooks.com