Life, 1914-12-03 · page 83 of 92
Life — December 3, 1914 — page 83: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **champagne advertisement**, not political satire. It's a patriotic marketing pitch from the American Wine Company (St. Louis) promoting domestic champagne during a period when French wine held prestige. The ad's central argument: American-made Cook's champagne is equally beautiful and quality to French champagne—the only difference is price. The copy explicitly appeals to patriotism, urging readers to support American products for their "intrinsic goodness." The imagery shows a vineyard landscape and a hand holding an elegant coupe glass, emphasizing sophistication and refinement. This suggests the ad targets middle-class consumers who might aspire to French luxury but can afford American alternatives. **Historical context**: This likely dates to the early-to-mid 20th century when American wine production was developing and competing against European imports. The patriotic angle may reflect post-WWI American sentiment favoring domestic products.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
rings ) to bring- lth.” @ No—this is not a French vineyard —it’s American—a typical Cook’s Champagne vineyard. @ It is no less beautiful because it is American is it? Neither is the wine that's the soul of the grapes of such vineyards less sparkling with the essence of sunshine, less piquant with the tang of hilltop breezes just because the label was not printed in France. @ So now, that you may find it expedient as well as patriotic to drink this wine of America, do so for its own intrinsic goodness and learn for all time that Cook's differs from the European article only in price. Sold Everywhere—Served Everywhere American Wine Company St. Louis, U. S. A. comicbooks.com