Life, 1920-05-06 · page 54 of 56
Life — May 6, 1920 — page 54: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** for Ward's Orange-Crush beverage, not a political cartoon. The page features a vintage soft drink ad from Life magazine's advertising section. The ad uses a simple comparative hook: "Like Oranges? Drink Orange-Crush," pairing text with imagery of actual oranges and a bottle of the product. The label notes the drink "contains no orange juice"—a candid admission that despite its name and orange imagery, it's a flavored beverage rather than actual juice. The copy emphasizes quality ingredients (oil from oranges, sugar, citric acid) to suggest authenticity. A companion product, "Lemon-Crush," is mentioned. The ad directs readers to request a free booklet and notes the product is available "in bottles or at fountains" (soda fountains being common refreshment venues of the era). This reflects early 20th-century marketing practices: using evocative imagery and ingredient descriptions to sell synthetic beverages.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIKE ORANGES DRINK ORANGE-CRUSH 5 ( delicious! Pure as sun- shine! Was drink er as delightfully ard’s Orange-Crush? n the supreme quality and match- avor—a combination of the delicate, fra t oil pressed from nature’s most favored fruit— golden oranges—purest sugar and citric acid, the natural acid found in all citrous fruits. Ward’s Lemon-Crush—the companion to Orange- Crush—is equally delicious. In bottles or at fountains Prepared by Orange-Crush Co., Chicago Laboratory: Los Angeles Send for free booklet, “The Story of Orange-Crush” comicbooks.com