Life, 1914-11-05 · page 5 of 48
Life — November 5, 1914 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **whisky advertisement** for Johnnie Walker Red Label, disguised as satirical content. The cartoon depicts what appears to be a tasting or sales gathering where a "Master" and "Keeper" discuss the whisky's quality—the Master praising its age (10 years old), the Keeper affirming its smallness for that age. The accompanying text emphasizes the product's reliability and consistent quality. The caricatured figures represent typical Victorian-era gentleman consumers and merchants. The satire is minimal; this is essentially **commercial advertising using humor** to market Johnnie Walker whisky to American consumers in 1914. The "non-refillable bottle" innovation and reserve stock claims serve as selling points targeting quality-conscious buyers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Master (watching the smile of satisfaction on his keeper's ‘Born 1820 face): “Tuat, Sanpy, 1s 10-YEAR-OLD Rep Lapel. —Still going strong. ‘JouNNIE WALKER’ OUT OF. TIE NON-REFILLABLE ROTTLE.” Keeper (smacking his lips with satisfaction): “ G-R-anv! RUT IT’S VERRA SMALL FOR ITS AGE.” The wonderful “ Johnnie Walker” non-refillable bottle is of next importance to the superior quality of “ Johnnie Walker” Whisky, because it ensures that you get the quality as it left the distillery. Every drop of “ Johnnie Walker” Red Label Whisky which will be offered for sale in 1914 was put into our own reserve stock, in bond, in 1904 or before that date. GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, LTD., WHISKY DISTILLERS, KILMARNOCK. comicbooks.com