Life, 1914-12-03 · page 4 of 92
Life — December 3, 1914 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **whisky advertisement** for Johnnie Walker Red Label, disguised as satirical commentary. The cartoon depicts a club scene where members discuss a servant named James who allegedly served whisky from a "non-refillable bottle" to conceal theft. The satire's point: the advertisement suggests that untrustworthy servants routinely steal alcohol, and that Johnnie Walker's non-refillable bottle design protects both the household and "the public from dishonest servants." The "suspicious nose" reference implies servants might be tempted to sample expensive spirits. The ad frames the product as a practical solution to servant dishonesty—a common anxiety among wealthy households of the era. The cartoon and dialogue are entirely fictional, created to sell whisky by exploiting period class anxieties about domestic staff reliability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Born 1820 —Still going strong. First Club Man: “Dip you notice THAT JAMES SERVED THIS ‘ JOUNNIE WALKER’ FROM A NON-REFILLABLE LOTTLE?” Second Club Man: “ Yes; 1 TOLD ME YESTERDAY THAT HE BELIEVED THAT ROTTLE TO BE A SPECIAL DISPENSA- TION TO DIVERT SUSPICION FROM HIS ACCUSATIVE NOSE.” First Club Man: “I've ALWAYS FANCIED JAMES’ NOSE TO BE MORE THAN A SUSPICION.” Home, club, restaurant and hotel servants are often subject to unjust suspicion from which the “ Johnnie Walker” non-refillable bottle will protect them—as it protects the public from dishonest servants. Ask for “ Johnnie Walker ” Red Label whisky in the non-refillable bottle—every drop over 10 years old. GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, Lro., Wiisxy Distittres, KILMARNOCK. comicbooks.com