“It begins to look we’re back numbers, Billy.”

The past and the present clash quite clearly is this poster by an unknown artist. The past can be seen in the foreground, personified as the gentleman and his horse, whereas the future, in the form of an automobile with a distinctive tread pattern, can be seen on the horizon. Billy, the horse and his owner realize they now belong to the past - “It begins to look we’re back numbers, Billy”. The poster is promoting the use of Republic Staggard Tread Tires, produced by The Republic Rubber Co. in Youngstown, Ohio, America. The company states in other advertisements that their ”high quality tires at the lowest possible costs” are “the thoroughbreds of tiredom today in appearance and endurance. The best proof of their class is furnished by the men who use them. ” In other words : gentleman use Republic Staggerd Tread Tires.