Life, 1907-05-09 · page 24 of 24
Life — May 9, 1907 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or cartoon commentary. It promotes Schlitz beer by emphasizing quality control and ingredient sourcing—standard advertising appeals for the era. The ad highlights competitive advantages: deep-well water, carefully selected barley, Bohemian hops, and most importantly, a proprietary yeast strain "no one can duplicate." The emphasis on purity reflects early-20th-century concerns about food and beverage safety, when contamination and adulteration were genuine public health issues. The tagline "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" positions Schlitz as the city's signature product. The instruction to verify the cork or crown branding addresses consumer concerns about counterfeiting or inferior imitations—a real commercial problem of the period. This represents pre-Prohibition marketing targeting middle-class consumers who valued quality assurance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
May 9, 1907 Our water comes from wells 1400 ——__— OS feet deep. Our barley is selected by a partner in our busi- ness—selected from the best that is grown. Most of our hops are Bohemian. Our yeast is produced forever from the same mother cell. ’Tis a yeast that no one can duplicate. That is why Schlitz beer is good. But we spend more on purity—more time, more skill, more money—than on any other cost of our brewing. That is why Schlitz beer is good for you. Ask for the Brewery Bottling. See that the cork or The B ee r crown is branded Schlitz. _ That Made Milwaukee Famous. comicbooks.com