Life — June 12, 1913 — page 43: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **Coca-Cola advertisement**, not political satire. The page features a stylized illustration of a fashionable young woman wearing a decorative headpiece, holding a Coca-Cola bottle. The ad exploits the slang term "keen," popular in the 1920s, meaning excellent or appealing. It repeatedly uses "keen" to describe Coca-Cola's qualities—its color, sparkle, taste, and refreshing properties. The copy plays on the word: "You will be keen for it" (you will want it). The decorative circular border frames the product name prominently. Text at the bottom emphasizes buying "the Genuine" and refusing substitutes, indicating competition from imitator beverages was a concern. This represents early mass-market advertising in *Life* magazine, using contemporary slang and attractive imagery to appeal to modern, style-conscious consumers during the Jazz Age.