Life, 1905-07-13 · page 25 of 26
Life — July 13, 1905 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a straightforward product advertisement, not political satire. It promotes Bock Panetela cigars, imported Havana cigars sold by the Havana Tobacco Company. The ad emphasizes the brand's popularity and quality, claiming it's "the most popular imported Havana cigar" and widely available nationwide. The ad notably mentions that the cigars now weigh two pounds per thousand more than previously, increasing import duties by $7.20 per thousand units, yet the retail price remains unchanged at 15 cents each or $12.50 per box of 100. This appears designed to suggest the company absorbs costs to maintain consumer value—a marketing strategy during an era of tariff debates. The decorative border and formal layout are typical of early 20th-century magazine advertising design.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THK MOST POPULAR IMPORTED HAVANA CIGAR ACTUAL SIZE-FAC-SIMILE SIGNATURE “BOCK ¥ CA." ACROSS THE BAND MOST EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER SMOKED IMPORTED HAVANA CIGARS HAS SMOKED BOCK PANETELAS—NO OTHER CIGAR IMPORTED FROM HAVANA IS KNOWN TO AS MANY PEOPLE! IT IS A VERY MILD—FINE FLAVORED—OCCASIONAL SMOKE, DESIRABLE FOR USE WHEN LARGER AND HEAVIER CIGARS ARE UNSUITABLE. THE LEAF OF WHICH TITS CIGAR IS MADE IS GROWN ON THE PLANTATIONS OPERATED BY THIS COMPANY AND IS NOW STRICTLY UNIFORM IN QUALITY, SO THAT THERE IS NO VARI- ATION IN THE DIFFERENT SHIPMENTS AS RECEIVED FROM HWAVANA. THE CIGAR ITSELF WEIGHS TWO POUNDS PER THOUSAND HMEAVIER TITAN IT USED TO—COSTING US 87.20 MORE IMPORT DUTY ON EVERY THOUSAND, YET THE PRICE REMAINS TIE SAME, 15c. EACH-BOX OF 100—-812.50 NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, IN MAINE OR CALIFORNIA, YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND THE BOCK PANETELA ON SALE IN ALL REPUTABLE CIGAR STORES WHERE IMPORTED HAVANA CIGARS ARE SOLD. HAVANA TOBACCO COMPANY, 111 Firra Ave. NEw YORK Send name and address for “Truth About Havana Cigars.”