Life, 1913-02-13 · page 31 of 44
Life — February 13, 1913 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **whisky advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Johnnie Walker's new "Protective Bottle" design, emphasizing the bottle's anti-tampering features to assure consumers of product authenticity and quality. The illustration shows a jovial Scottish figure (Johnnie Walker's mascot, "Born 1820—Still going strong") juggling bottles, visually reinforcing the advertising tagline: you can juggle with the *bottles* but not with the *contents*. The design aims to address Prohibition-era concerns about counterfeit or adulterated whisky, protecting both consumers and sellers from suspicion. The humor is gentle marketing rather than satirical commentary—the cartoon humanizes the brand through the cheerful Scottish character while the protective bottle becomes a selling point emphasizing quality assurance and consumer trust during a period of widespread product adulteration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
You can juggle with the Joftles but not with the contents of the wonderful | PROTECTIVE \ BOTTLE Perfected to protect Johnnie Walker Whisky “THE PATENT THAT PROTECTS THE PUBLIC AND THE PURVEYOR” We do not make unqualified use of the description “ non-refillable ’— but the possibility of anything being put back into this bottle is so remote as to afford ample protection for the man who wants to know exactly what he is getting, and for the dealer or house-servant to escape all suspicion. Guaranteed same quality throughout the world. VOIRININIEE YAGI E[P2 RED Label (42% fre mer Dp \\ BLACK Label “2,277 mer A} Born 1820— Sull going To safeguard these ages, the policy of the distillers for the future is the R strong. same as their policy of the past. First and foremost to see that the margin WR : . of stocks over sales is always large enough to maintain the unique quality, HOW TO POUR Tilt the bottle quickly nearly upside down. If the whisky does not flow frecly, give the bottle a slight shake to set the valve in motion, If you have any difficulty in obtaining Johnnie Walker Whisky in the new “ Protective” Bottle, send usa p%stal card with the name of your dealer, and we will see that you are supplied. Address: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, Agents, * 1158, Broapway, New York. comicbooks.com