Life, 1920-06-03 · page 43 of 52
Life — June 3, 1920 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes Hires root beer, manufactured by the Charles E. Hires Company of Philadelphia. The illustrated figure is an unnamed gentleman in formal attire (straw hat, bow tie) holding a bottle, serving as the brand's spokesperson. The ad's central message warns consumers to specifically request "Hires" by name rather than accepting imitations, claiming genuine Hires contains only natural ingredients (16 roots, barks, herbs, and berries with cane sugar) while cheaper imitations are "artificially made" and potentially harmful. The appeal was typical of early 20th-century marketing: emphasizing purity, health benefits, and brand authenticity during an era when consumer trust in manufactured goods was uncertain and product standardization was inconsistent. The phrase "Don't trifle with imitations" reinforced brand loyalty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“T Said 7 Hires T is important that you say “Hires”. Because Hires is pure and healthful; while imitations of Hires, being artificially made, may be harmful. Nothing goes into Hires but the pure, healthful juices of roots, barks, herbs, berries—and pure cane sugar. The quality of Hires is maintained in spite of tremen- dously increased costs of ingre- dients. Yet you pay no more for Hires the genuine than you do for an artificial imitation. Don’t trifle with imitations. Say “Hires” at the fountain or order in bottles, by the case, from your dealer. THE CHARLES E. HIRES COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA Hires contains juices of 16 roots, barks, herbs and berries comicbooks.com