Life — September 5, 1930 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **Goodyear tire advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The page uses a famous artwork reference to sell products. The ad compares Goodyear's "Double Eagle" tire to Rembrandt's masterful brushwork. The image shows a Rembrandt painting (reproduced "by courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art") depicting a figure in period dress, with a large tire positioned prominently in the lower left. The advertisement's argument: just as many painters have imitated Rembrandt without matching his genius, competitors have attempted to copy the Double Eagle tire's success without achieving its quality. The tire is presented as "the masterpiece" — superior in "quality and strength" to imitations. This is **brand-building through artistic comparison**, positioning a commercial product alongside High Art to suggest unmatched excellence and authenticity.