Life, 1923-06-14 · page 3 of 44
Life — June 14, 1923 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Kelly Cords tire advertisement** disguised as editorial content in *Life* magazine. The cartoon depicts two men in coats examining cars stuck in mud on Yorkshire Moors during rain—a scenario designed to showcase tire performance in terrible conditions. One man complains about "infernal slippery roads" and suggests someone invent better tires. The other responds that the solution already exists: "Kelly-Springfield Cords." The advertisement then claims Kelly Cords are "surefooted on practically all kinds of roads and in all kinds of weather" and possess "Kelly sturdiness" for long mileage. The final line—"it costs no more to buy a Kelly"—uses comparative pricing as a sales pitch. This represents early 20th-century advertorial techniques where ads mimicked editorial cartoons to appear more legitimate and entertaining to readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
YORKSHIRE MOORS, ENGLAND* “Confound these infernal slippery roads! Why don’t some of these clever Johnnies invent a tyre that won't slither about so?” “They have—Kelly-Springfield Cords.” [HERE is ample justification for the absolute con- fidence which the owner of Kelly Cords places in them. Not only are they surefooted on practically all kinds of roads and in all kinds of weather but they have that characteristic Kelly sturdiness which insures long mileage in spite of severe punishment. Truly, a rare combination of Safety and Service, yet ‘Duwing by Laurence Fellows, England. —it costs no more to buy a Kelly. comicbooks.com