Judge — January 8, 1916 — page 28: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not satire. It promotes Fatimas, a Turkish-blend cigarette brand by Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. The ad depicts two well-dressed businessmen in what appears to be an office or shop, examining a Fatima package. The copy targets affluent professionals ("men of big affairs"), claiming the cigarettes are "sensible" because they're allegedly gentle on the throat and leave no unpleasant aftertaste—a common early-20th-century tobacco marketing pitch before health dangers were widely acknowledged. The phrase "sensible cigarette" reflects period advertising language emphasizing product safety and comfort rather than any actual health benefit. This would run in Judge magazine to reach educated, upper-class readers who were key consumers for premium tobacco products.