Life, 1929-06-21 · page 39 of 40
Life — June 21, 1929 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Goodyear tire advertisement** (1929), not political satire. It uses a classical painting reference—"A Masterpiece by Gainsborough, R.A."—to market the Double Eagle tire to affluent consumers. The ad's strategy is aspirational: by pairing the tire with an 18th-century portrait of an elegantly dressed woman (appearing to reference Thomas Gainsborough's society portraits), Goodyear associates their product with luxury, refinement, and timeless quality. The copy explicitly targets "a lady of quality—or a gentleman," emphasizing that the tire represents elegance and durability befitting the wealthy. The humor is subtle: the comparison equates a tire's durability and appearance with fine art—suggesting the tire is both beautiful and lasting. This reflects 1920s advertising trends that positioned consumer goods as status symbols and lifestyle statements rather than mere practical items.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
r Courtesy Rudolf Lesch Fine Arte A Mlasterpiece by Gainsborou h, RA. é thy ou a lady of quality—or a gentleman — nothing less, today, than the Goodyear Double Eagle tire. Nothing less than its troubleproof safety. Nothing less than its outstanding good looks. Nothing less, certainly, than its luxurious excellence, so durable that under anything like normal conditions you can expect the Double Eagle to last as long as you will keep your car. ©1929 The G.T.& R.Co., Ine. comicbooks.com