Bottles of Budweiser in a scene from a railroad restaurant car, 1904

Framed lithograph of a scene in a railroad restaurant car, 1904. Two bottles of Budweiser, a full glass of beer, and a cork rest on the corner of a table in the extreme left foreground of the scene. The Anheuser-Busch eagle logo is visible in the upper-left corner. The background scene depicts diners in a railroad restaurant car and shows a server pouring Budweiser for two well-dressed women and a man. Off in the distance, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, also known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, can been seen through the car windows.

In 1876, when liquor importer/bottler Carl Conrad contracted with Busch to make and sell Budweiser, the plan was to create an upscale beverage. Accordingly, Budweiser was sold in bottles with foil-covered, wire-wrapped cork closures, with the goal of evoking the image of fine champagne. By depicting prosperous patrons in an elegant dining car, this lithograph, which was obviously designed for promotional purposes, underscored the idea that Budweiser was an upscale product. The somewhat incongruous gold frame drove that message home.