Life, 1915-01-07 · page 5 of 44
Life — January 7, 1915 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Johnnie Walker whisky advertisement** disguised as satirical content. The illustration shows two well-dressed men visiting what appears to be a grand manor, greeting a porter at the entrance. The "joke" centers on a guest asking nervously about "haunting family spirits" in this ghostly room. The valet responds that all their "ancient spirits are corked in 'Johnnie Walker' non-refillable bottles"—a pun playing on both supernatural spirits and distilled spirits (whisky). The advertisement emphasizes that Johnnie Walker Red Label is "the spirit of good cheer" and highlights its age (over 10 years old) and guaranteed quality. The satire is mild—essentially equating premium whisky with family tradition and sophistication. This reflects 1920s advertising strategy: wrapping product promotion in humor to make it more palatable to readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Bern 1820 —Srill going strong. Special wanes Guest (nervously): “1 SUPPOSE THERE ARE NO HAUNTING FAMILY SPIRITS WHO TAKE THEIR NIGHTLY WALKS IN THIS GHOSTLY ROOM?” Valet (jocularly): “O, No, str! ALL OF OUR ANCIENT SPIRITS ARE CORKED IN ‘ JOHNNIE WALKER’ NON-REFILL- ABLE BOTTLES AND SAFELY LOCKED UP. SHALL I FETCH YOU SOME, SIR?” “Johnnie Walker” Red Label whisky is the spirit of good cheer. Happy the guest who finds it the favorite amily spirit.” Nor can a host pay his guest a higher compliment than to assume that he is educated to the “family st N host pay his gi higl pl | hat | lucated to th “ Johnnie Walker” Red Label quality. Every drop is over 10 years old. Ask for it in the non-refillable bottle. GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, Lrp., Wursxy Distituces, KILMARNOCK.