Life, 1920-12-02 · page 73 of 97
Life — December 2, 1920 — page 73: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satire—it's a **straightforward advertisement** for G. Washington's Prepared Coffee, appearing in *Life* magazine's Christmas issue. The ad promotes instant/prepared coffee as the ideal "finishing touch" for a Christmas dinner. It emphasizes convenience: users need only add "a teaspoon or less" of coffee to hot water in the cup, eliminating preparation trouble and waste. The product is marketed as "Pure—Digestible—Healthful—Economical." The imagery shows hands pouring the prepared coffee into a teacup, demonstrating the simplicity of use. The brand claims to have been "Originated by Mr. Washington in 1909," establishing product heritage and legitimacy. There is no political satire or social commentary visible here—this is period advertising targeting affluent *Life* readers seeking convenient, quality products for holiday entertaining.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Fr. k as. ‘ } \ 4 k ee” “CHRISTMAS LIFE: | Made inthe Cup The feature that completes he Feast that most delicious “finishing touch’ Sasiiogiouls Coffee. Serve it with heavy cream or as a demi- tasse. Each cup made to order~just a teaspoon or less, in the cup, pouron the water and the coffee ismade. No trouble-No waste-Ferfect coffee always. Pure-- Pigestible --Healthful -- “Economical Specia il Trial Size lOS~ Recipe Bo Originated by Mr. Wastigusn in 1909 G. WASHINGTON | SALES 5 One, 522 FIFTH at the comicbooks.com