Life, 1912-10-03 · page 2 of 56
Life — October 3, 1912 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes Cook's Extra Dry Champagne from the American Wine Co. (St. Louis, Missouri). The imagery depicts a formally-dressed waiter or sommelier presenting an opened bottle, emphasizing the theatrical sensory experience of champagne consumption—the "pop" of the cork, fizz, aroma, and taste. The ad appeals to aspirational consumers by positioning Cook's as comparable to expensive foreign champagnes while costing significantly less ($2.00 total with duty and freight versus $1.00 profit margin). The copy uses luxurious language ("dancing, sparkling life," "fragrant bouquet") to market an American product during what appears to be the pre-Prohibition era. This represents typical early 20th-century American advertising strategy: democratic pricing paired with elite product positioning.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Open a Bottle of Cook’s Hear the full, sounding pop! of the cork—see how the wine fizzes; see : the dancing, sparkling life in the P glass—inhale the rich, fragrant bou- ° quet—taste the very soul of the grape; _ || : mellow yet deliciously tongue prickling—this is AVVO Hiren JExxtra IDresy ie Clhannpagine | the very final word in champagne perfection, irrespective of price. The Price If the price of Cook's makes you question vod as foreign made cham- int of Cook's— an envelope and mail its being pagnes, do this Order $1.00. Place envelope a partment of any trans- p compat tga s for gotia better wine,. costing just as much as the foreign made wine, and $1.00 of your $2.00 distributed in just the same way—duly and freight. Sold Everywhere and Served Everywhere American Wine Co. St. Louis, Mo. osn SO ‘THE EDWal comicbookss