Life, 1917-06-28 · page 31 of 39
Life — June 28, 1917 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Johnnie Walker whisky advertisement** disguised as satirical commentary. The cartoon depicts an anthropomorphized Johnnie Walker (the brand's mascot—a striding gentleman in top hat) interacting with street urchins and a well-dressed man. The "joke" plays on the proverb "It's an ill wind that blows nobody good": Walker causes a child to catch cold by blowing wind, but this "efficiency" somehow demonstrates the whisky's quality. The humor is dark and nonsensical—clearly the advertisement's real purpose is simply to showcase the product's longevity ("Born 1820—still going strong") and guaranteed quality. The text emphasizes the whisky ages over 10 years before release, positioning it as premium and reliable worldwide. This is essentially propaganda wrapped in crude cartoon satire, typical of early 20th-century advertising that used humor to create brand familiarity rather than logical persuasion.
📄 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: “‘ ILL BLOWS THE WIND, THAT PROFITS NoRoDY.’ ” Jovial Friend: “Yes! He REWARDS THE URCHIN, CATCHES A COLD, AND SO FINDS OUT THE EFFICIENCY OF ‘ JoHNNIE WaLKER’ Rep Lanev.” 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, Ltp., Wuisxy Distitters, KILMARNOCK, Scornann.