Life, 1928-07-26 · page 2 of 36
Life — July 26, 1928 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satire—it's a **straightforward advertisement** for Hood Rubber Company tires, based in Watertown, Massachusetts. The ad uses visual drama to market modern tires by contrasting a tiny 1920s automobile dwarfed beneath an enormous tire. The accompanying text emphasizes that Hood tires are engineered for contemporary driving conditions: high speeds, quick acceleration, frequent braking, and smaller wheels. The phrase "From Scratch to 'Forty' in...Seconds!" refers to rapid acceleration (0-40 mph), promoting the tires' performance capability for modern motoring. The slogan "Hood tires are worth more because they give more" is the core sales pitch. This represents early automotive advertising that positioned tire quality as essential to the new, faster pace of American life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
From Scratch to Forty” in... Seconds! A flying getaway—“forty”—then adead stop in a few yards. That’s modern trafic. And your tires must meet its grind and wear. Hood tires are built to meet these modern conditions. To give more satisfactory mileage, com- fort and safety... even with the higher speeds, smaller wheels, four-wheel brakes and the quick- er starts and stops of present- day motoring. Made by HOOD RUBBER CO. Watertown, Mass. Hood tires are worth more because they giv MEELS - SOLES - TILING ef > THE SYMBOL OF WORLD WIDE SERVICE IN URBER PRODUCT comicbooks.com