Life, 1917-06-14 · page 33 of 38
Life — June 14, 1917 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a Johnnie Walker whisky advertisement disguised as satirical commentary. Two well-dressed gentlemen in top hats debate aging: one claims "a man is as old as he feels," while the other counters that Johnnie Walker Red Label is "as old as it tastes"—emphasizing the whisky's 10+ years of aging before release. The joke hinges on conflating human vitality with whisky quality. The bottle itself, "Born 1820," suggests longevity and reliability. The cartoon uses genteel characters and witty banter to position the product as a mark of sophistication and good judgment. This reflects early-20th-century advertising strategy: placing commercial messages within humorous content to appear organic rather than purely promotional. The phrase "still going strong" reinforces both the brand's longevity and implied benefits to the consumer.
📄 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. Self-Satisfied One: “‘ A MAN IS AS OLD AS HE FEELS.’” Knowing One: “ Yes, put ‘ JoHNNIE WALKER’ Rep LABEL 1S AS OLD AS IT TASTES.” Every drop of Red Label is over 10 years old before released from bond. GUARANTEED SAME QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agents: WILLIAMS & HUMBERT, 1158 Broadway, NEW YORK. JOHN WALKER & SONS, Lrp., Waisxy Distitiers, KILMARNOCK, Scorzann. comicbooks.com