Life, 1926-10-28 · page 17 of 36
Life — October 28, 1926 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement mockery from Life magazine. The headline plays on "Johnnie Walker" (the famous whisky brand) by substituting "Water," while the lower text promises "Old Adam's Ale"—a humorous period term for plain water. The central illustration shows two caricatured figures in top hats dispensing water in exaggerated abundance, surrounded by chaotic crowds. This satirizes the temperance movement's push against alcohol consumption. The caption notes that Punch magazine (a competitor humor publication) has "decided to close its columns to advertisements from the liquor trade," which Life mocks here. The joke suggests that if alcohol advertising were banned, only water advertisements would remain—presenting temperance advocates' vision as absurd.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
10, WATER STREET,” RS ; Adam’s Ate A Vision of Non-Alcoholic Punch “Punch, THE HUMOROUS WEEKLY, HAS DECIDED TO CLOSE ITS COLUMNS TO ADVERTISEMENTS FROM THE Ligvon TRADE.” —London dispatch. comicbooks.com