Life, 1929-06-28 · page 3 of 37
Life — June 28, 1929 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **advertising, not satire or editorial content**. It's a Mohawks tire advertisement from The Mohawk Rubber Company (Akron, Ohio) that appeared in Life magazine. The ad uses a clever analogy: just as human shoulders absorb impact by flexing at the knees, the tire's 252 "buttressed shoulders" (reinforced sidewalls) absorb road shocks through the tire's 6-ply walls. The ad emphasizes technical features—the buttressed design, 15% lower air pressure requirement, and improved traction—as marks of quality. The headline "Putting 252 Shoulders to the Wheel" is a pun on the idiom "putting your shoulder to the wheel" (meaning hard work). There's no political or social satire here; this is straightforward product marketing highlighting tire engineering innovations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Putting 252 Shoulders to the Wheel Bounce a weight on a strong man’s shoulders. How does he take the shock? By flexing the knees. That's the theory of the Mohawk Flat Tread Special Balloon. 252 broad shoulders take the brunt of the blows. 252 massive buttresses carry the shocks to the “knees” of the tire—the Oaply walls that are built for flexing. This scien» tifically correct tire grips the road, spreads the load, saves the tread, absorbs the shocks ... requires 15% lower air pressure, which immensely increases traction and riding ease. Look for the buttressed shoulders, the distinguishing mark of a distinguished tire. Featured by Quality Tire Dealers Everywhere MOHAWES 60 Farther! THE MOHAWK RUBBER COMPANY ... AKRON, OHIO For Sixteen Years Makers of Fine Tires comicbooks.com