Life, 1929-07-19 · page 4 of 36
Life — July 19, 1929 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a Dunlop tire advertisement from an early 20th-century Life magazine. The ad addresses consumer anxiety about purchasing tires—a relatively new consumer good at the time. The headline poses a relatable question: what concerns you when buying tires? The copy then reassures buyers that Dunlop offers a "Surety Bond" guaranteeing coverage against twelve common tire problems (blowouts, rim damage, misalignment, etc.). The cartoon at top shows a car with a flat tire, illustrating the tire troubles customers fear. The advertisement uses this anxiety to promote Dunlop's warranty as superior "plus value"—offering peace of mind competitors don't provide. This reflects early automotive culture when tire reliability was genuinely uncertain and worrisome.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR MIND WHEN YOU MUST BUY A NEW TIRE? S: EE if this isn’t what you want! Tires can’t last forever and sooner or later you have to lay out money for new ones. Usually the need comes at a time when you have other uses for the money. You feel that if you must buy a new tire you want one that puts forward a long time the day when it must be replaced. You are familiar with the names of five or six—all good, you suppose —but which one? Which tire—they all look sturdy enough in the dealer’s window. They all bounce bravely upon the cement floor—they all cost about the same. You would go across the street or even around two blocks to buy the tire that you felt sure offered you a little more, a definite “plus value.” Wouldn’t you? Here is the "plus value” Dunlop offers There are twelve common causes of tire mishap —all listed on this page. Dunlop can’t posi- tively prevent one or more happening to you. But Dunlop can cover you if any do happen and does cover you with a Surety Bond that makes good against defect or mishap for one full year from the date you buy your Dunlop tires. Read what the Surety Bond offers. Let a Dunlop Dealer show you a copy or write us fora specimen bond. And remember—when that mean day comes, and a tire or two must be bought—remember the Dunlop Surety Bond. Buying new tires is a whole lot less of a nuisance when all doubt that you are buying wisely is removed from your mind. Dunlop Tire & Rubber Company, Buffalo, N. Y. 12 MAJOR TIRE TROUBLES covered by the Dunlop Bonded Guarantee Accidents Collisions Blow-outs Misalignment Stone bruises Road cuts Rim smashes Side-wall injuries Tube pinching Valve tearing Faulty toe-in Under-inflation DUNLOP comicbooks.com