Life, 1925-04-30 · page 41 of 42
Life — April 30, 1925 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Michelin tire company advertisement**, not political satire. The illustrated figures are **Michelin's mascot—Bibendum, the rotund tire man**—shown playfully positioned around the statistic "90 1/0" (meaning 90.1%). The ad claims that 90.1% of cars at the 1925 New York Auto Show were equipped with Michelin's new "balloon tires"—a then-revolutionary tire technology featuring lower pressure and improved comfort. The cartoon mummies are meant to be whimsical/eye-catching rather than satirical. The advertisement emphasizes Michelin's market dominance: three million of nine million balloon tires worldwide are Michelins. It highlights product benefits—durability, comfort, compatibility with existing rims—and notes affordability compared to traditional high-pressure tires. This represents early automotive advertising targeting the rapidly expanding 1920s car market.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
of all the cars at the 1925 N.Y. Auto Show were Balloon Equipped. The Leading BalloonTire is | MICHELIN The first public display of balloon tires was by Michelin at the Paris Automobile Salon, 1923. 2 Today, out of about 9,000,000 balloons running throughout the world, 3,000,000 are Michelins. 3 They have proved they last longer—in addition to giving a degree of riding com- fort never before dreamt of. 4 They fit all rims—the new sizes as well as the old. They cost no more than high- ichelin is the oldest of the world’s i Wiew caskets ‘Ateeys a lentee, pressure tires. And you can change to Michelin is now forging ahead faster them one at a time as your present tires than ever. Last year Michelin's sales ver ; ; crew hice dines os fast as thows of the wear out. Ask your dealer how to do this. rest of the tire industry. Today, 25,000 Michelin also makes oversize cords and men are kept busy in Michelin fac- the famous Michelin Ring-Shaped Tube tories to supply the great demand for . Michelin Tires and Tubes. Michelin Tire Company, Milltown, New Jersey comicbooks.com