Life, 1912-09-19 · page 29 of 44
Life — September 19, 1912 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **whiskey advertisement**, not satire or editorial cartoon. It promotes Wilson brand whiskey and its innovation: the non-refillable bottle (introduced 1911). The ad's appeal targets consumers concerned about product authenticity and safety. The tagline "What you don't drink won't hurt you—what you do drink may" uses dark humor to suggest that refillable bottles enabled adulteration or tampering, making non-refillable bottles a consumer protection. The illustration shows whiskey being poured from a sealed bottle into a glass—emphasizing the bottle's integrity and the purity guarantee. For modern readers: this reflects early 20th-century anxieties about food/beverage safety before FDA regulations. The non-refillable bottle was genuinely marketed as a quality assurance innovation, positioning Wilson as protecting both manufacturer reputation and consumer health.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Since 1823 | Wilson That’s All! ' The Non-Refillable Bottle Since 1911 That’s New! Here’s the first Non-Refillable bottle ever put to practical i use. It has been on the market less than one year and already is the biggest success ever known in whiskey. What you don’t drink won’t hurt you—what you do drink may. Thus, millions of particular Americans now demand this new bottle when they want to be sure of what they drink. It protects the manufacturer and it protects you. It contains WILSON — real WILSON — and you've never tasted better whiskey. Try a drink from the Non-Refillable bottle. Wilson! Everywhere! In the Bottle Which Won’t Refill There’s a WILSON Mixed Drink Book. It contains hitherto unpub- lished Club recipes for delicious mixed drinks. This book is yours for simply addressing ‘‘ Wilson Whiskey,” 303 Fifth Avenue, New York City. xu | comicbooks.com