Judge, 1917-03-03 · page 19 of 28
Judge — March 3, 1917 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Johnnie Walker whisky advertisement** disguised as satirical editorial content in Judge magazine. The cartoon depicts two elderly gentlemen (the "Wise One" and "Wiser One") in top hats, surrounded by cherubs or putti. The visual joke plays on an old proverb about skepticism—don't believe everything you hear or repeat everything you believe. The advertisement's twist: readers *should* believe all the claims about Johnnie Walker Red Label whisky because the non-refillable bottle guarantees quality and prevents tampering. The implication is that the bottle's design—not refillable—ensures authenticity and that each drop has aged over 10 years. By framing this as wisdom from "old" sources (the proverb, the elderly figures, and the product's heritage—"Born 1820"), the ad suggests that Johnnie Walker's reputation is time-tested and trustworthy. This was standard early-20th-century advertising: wrapping commercial claims in humorous, editorial-style content to blur the line between entertainment and promotion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Born 1820 Wise One: “Tue op PROVERB SAYS: — BELIEVE NOT ALL YOU HEAR, AND TELL NOT ALL YOU BELIEVE.’”” Wiser One: “But you Can B © ALL YOU HEAR ABOUT ‘JonnNtE Wacker’ Rep LaBeEL, AND TELL ALL YOU BELIE —Because its superior quality is safeguarded by the famous “Johnnie Walker” non-refillable bottle. Every drop of Red Label is over 10 years old before released from bond—the non-refillable bottle does the rest. GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, Lrp., Wiusky Distitters, KILMARNOCK. Scottann. —still going strong. books¥eom