Judge — December 1, 1917 — page 21: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a cigarette advertisement, not political satire. It markets "Egyptian Deities" brand cigarettes by appealing to consumer aspirations. The ad claims that "people of culture, refinement and education invariably PREFER Deities to any other cigarette." The imagery shows an elegant woman in classical dress examining the cigarette package, surrounded by Egyptian-themed decorative elements and artifacts. The advertisement uses exotic imagery and appeals to sophistication to market the product—a common early 20th-century advertising strategy that associated cigarette consumption with taste, education, and social status. This reflects period attitudes where cigarette advertising freely targeted aspirational messaging without health warnings.