Life, 1925-12-10 · page 22 of 36
Life — December 10, 1925 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page mocks American drinking culture during the holiday season. The cartoons depict various Christmas scenarios centered on alcohol consumption: The top illustrations show wealthy gentlemen distributing expensive Scotch whisky (at "eighty-five a case"—a high price), and reference the challenge of keeping liquor away from children who might tamper with bottles. The largest cartoon shows men at a family gathering, warned by "Aunt Soph" about her potent dandelion wine. The caption humorously notes that despite warnings about its strength, the men eagerly await its effects. The final image shows a man proudly presenting a bottle as a Christmas gift, emphasizing its weight and the gurgling sound—implying its value lies purely in the alcohol itself. The satire targets the way alcohol dominates holiday celebrations and the social competition around serving impressive spirits, while also gently mocking masculine bravado about alcohol consumption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE - Christmas Spirits THIS 15 THE SEASON WHEN THAT DEAR, SCHOLARLY OLD GENTLEMAN YOU CHANCE TO MEET ENDS UP BY HANDING YOU HIS CARD WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT HIS CHRIST- MAS SPIRITS CAN BE RELIFD UPON—ESPECIALLY THE SCOTCH, AT EIGHTY-FIVE A CASE. TIME WAS WHEN IT TOOK A GOOD STRONG MAN To PULL THE CORK PROM A HOLIDAY BOTTLE, RUT Now ADAYS YOU HAVE TO KEEP LITTLE JUNIOR AWAY FROM THAT NEW CASE OF SCOTCH OR HELL PUSH ALL TH CORKS DOWN INTO THE BOTTLES. AUNT SOPH HAS WARNED EVERYBODY AT THE FAMILY REUNION TO BF CAREFUL OP HER DANDELION WINE—“IT’S AWFULLY STRONG—GOFS TUE CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM A BUSINESS RIGHT TO YOUR HEAD IN A SECON WHICH SOMEHOW DOESN’T SCARE ASSOCIATE—IT’S THE RIGHT SIzE—IT’s THE THE MEN FOLKS A BIT, AND WE HERE SHOW SOME OF THE INTREPID RIGHT WEIGHT!—AND YES, BY GOLLY—IT OPTIMISTS WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE “KICK” THAT NEVER COMPS. GURGLES! comicbooks.com