Life, 1916-04-06 · page 72 of 80
Life — April 6, 1916 — page 72: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not a cartoon or satire. It promotes Cook's Imperial Extra Dry Champagne from the American Wine Co. (St. Louis). The ad employs a medieval proverb—"good wine needs no bush"—referring to the historical practice of hanging a bush outside taverns selling quality wine, since customers already knew where to find it. The advertisement applies this logic to Cook's champagne: it claims the product is so well-known and respected at "every good place" that no advertising signage is necessary. The visual shows a champagne bottle with decorative Art Deco styling, surrounding a cloud-like text frame. A vintage automobile appears at the bottom right. The pitch is straightforward marketing: Cook's champagne is popular enough that you should simply ask for it wherever you go—"automobiling, riding, driving, walking"—without needing to see posted signs. This reflects early 20th-century advertising confidence in brand recognition.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HERE'S an old Proverb which says—“Good wine needs no bush.” @ That's from the olden days when a bush over the door of a shop indicated that there they sold wine. Where they sold good wine no bush was needed—every- one knew the place. @ The same is true of Cook's Imperial Extra Dry Champagne—cafes, restaurants and buffets don’t have to display signs saying they sell or serve Cook’s Imperial —every good place does, and everybody who knows good wine knows that. @ So—automobiling, riding, driving, walking, sitting or standing—don’t wait to see a sign—ask! Sold Everywhere— Served Everywhere AMERICAN WINE Co. ST. LOUIS, comicbooks.com