Life — July 25, 1918 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **straightforward advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It advertises Clicquot Club Ginger Ale, a real soft drink brand produced in Mills, Massachusetts. The ad uses an Inuit/Arctic theme: a figure in heavy winter clothing is shown with a dog sled team in snowy conditions. The visual joke is that even in the frozen north, people get thirsty and want this ginger ale. The accompanying text emphasizes the drink's purity—made from cane sugar, lemon/lime juice, ginger, and spring water—and recommends serving it "any time when thirst bobs up in your throat." This reflects early-twentieth-century advertising conventions: exotic imagery and pseudoscientific health claims were common sales tactics.