Life, 1912-12-05 · page 93 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 93: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a full-page advertisement, not political satire. It depicts well-dressed businessmen toasting with Welch's Grape Juice, promoting it as "The National Drink" for modern professionals. The pitch targets early 20th-century anxieties about sobriety and business respectability. The ad argues that successful men avoid alcoholic "stimulants" and instead choose grape juice—positioning abstinence as sophisticated and masculine rather than prudish. The slogan "Get on the Welch Wagon" plays on temperance rhetoric popular before Prohibition (which began in 1920). The advertisement emphasizes Welch's as healthful, non-addictive, and satisfying—directly contrasting it with alcohol's perceived dangers. This reflects growing temperance sentiment and concerns about alcohol's effects on professional competence and moral character during the Progressive Era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘Get on the Welch Wagon’ for Il Men today—business men—do not drink stimulants. Modern conditions require that a business man have a clear head at all times. WELCH’S Grape Juice is for the man who thinks and who cares what others think. WELCH'S tastes good. It has a delicious, tart, fruity flavor. It is a natural beverage. . Then, WELCH’S satisfies thirst. It does not make a slave of its user and its only after-effects are beneficial. And, appealing to the taste,—satisfying the thirst, -WELCH'’S is also healthful. It ought to be your favorite beverage. Welch's “Che National Drink” Make your next drink a WELCH BALL—filling the glass half full of WELCH'’S and add- ing a lump of ice and charged water. Make sure you get WELCH'’S. Its fine flavor is due to the better quality of grapes used and to the care and cleanliness that mark the WELCH process. Get the Welch habit -- it’s one that won't get you. If unable to get WELCH'S of your dealer we will ship a trial dozen pints, express pre- paid east of Omaha, for $3. Sample 4-0z. bottle mailed for 10c. Booklet of recipes free. The Welch Grape Juice Company Westfield, N. Y. comicbooks.com