Life — July 4, 1918 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Clicquot Club Ginger Ale, made by The Clicquot Club Company of Millis, Massachusetts. The ad features a stylized, somewhat grotesque smiling face emerging from snow or foam, alongside a bottle of the ginger ale. The exaggerated facial expression and caricature style were common in early 20th-century advertising, though the distorted features appear crude and unusual by modern standards. The marketing copy emphasizes the drink's appeal across "all ages" and encourages bulk purchase ("by the case"). The claims about pure ingredients and ginger flavoring reflect period marketing conventions. The page demonstrates how advertising aesthetics and acceptable imagery have shifted significantly since this Life magazine publication.