Life, 1917-02-22 · page 5 of 42
Life — February 22, 1917 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Johnnie Walker whisky advertisement** from Life magazine (page 293), not political satire. The cartoon depicts two figures in 19th-century military dress: one holding a child, another an older man ("Born 1820 — still going strong"). The text references a dialogue about Johnnie Walker Red Label whisky, using the metaphor that while you can force a horse to water, you cannot force it to drink — similarly, one cannot make someone appreciate quality without knowing its merits. The advertisement emphasizes that Johnnie Walker Red Label is aged over 10 years before release and maintains consistent quality worldwide. The agents listed are Williams & Humbert in New York, with production in Kilmarnock, Scotland. This is commercial messaging disguised as entertainment, typical of early 20th-century advertising strategy.
📄 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. Johnnie Walker: “*You CAN TAKE A HORSE TO THE WATER BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE HIM DRINK.” Old Sportsman: “THaT WOULD NOT APPLY TO THE MAN WHO ‘Jounnte Wacker’ Reo Lasec.” KNOWS THE MERITS OP It is important that you should know that the “merits” of “Johnnie Walker” are protected by the famous non-refillable bottle. Every drop of Red Label is over 10 years old before released from bond—the non-refillable bottle does the rest, GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, Lro, Waisxy Distiters, KILMARNOCK, Soorax, comicbooks.com