Life — July 2, 1925 — page 45: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a 1925 Fisk Tire Company advertisement disguised as satirical commentary. The image depicts two children—one hammering a nail into a billboard, another operating what appears to be a cannon or blower—attacking a roadside advertisement. The ad's message plays on the era's frustration with ubiquitous roadside advertising. The headline "TIME TO RE-TIRE / GET A FISK" makes a pun: "re-tire" suggests both replacing worn tires and being "tired of" (annoyed by) billboards. The joke targets billboard clutter itself while advertising Fisk tires, using children as mischievous agents destroying ads. This reflects 1920s growing public annoyance with commercial signage proliferating across the American landscape—the ad cleverly monetizes that frustration to promote tire replacement.