Life, 1928-04-12 · page 7 of 42
Life — April 12, 1928 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Coca-Cola advertisement** disguised as satirical commentary, not a genuine political cartoon. The page shows Roman figures (likely from Shakespeare's *Julius Caesar*) holding Coca-Cola glasses, with the headline "What Shakespeare says about Coca-Cola." The ad claims to quote Shakespeare with "A dish fit for the gods," then riffs on the famous line "Et tu, Brute?" to humorously suggest even the historical Brutus would appreciate Coca-Cola's "Delicious and Refreshing" qualities. The joke relies on anachronism—pretending ancient Romans would have enjoyed modern soft drinks. The "8 million a day" consumption statistic appears designed to suggest Coca-Cola's ubiquity and universal appeal. This represents early 20th-century advertising strategy: using literary references and humor to position a product as cultured and universally desirable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What Shakespeare says about Coca-Cola Et tu, Brute! Authorities are agreed that Brutus was the best of the lot. He knew his stuff. Two thousand years makes no difference with a : man like that. With a glass oN of Coca-Cola in his hand, you 7A can easily imagine him saying “S further: “Delicious and Refreshing” “Refresh yourself” The Coca-Cola Company, Atlaota, Ga 8 million_ a day Julius Caesar Ace I, Scene 1 IT HAD TO BE GOOD TO GET WHERE IT comicbooks.com