Life — December 4, 1913 — page 103: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a cigarette advertisement from *Life* magazine featuring "Egyptian Deities" branded cigarettes, marketed as "The Utmost in Cigarettes" with "Plain or Cork Tip" options. The ad uses Egyptian imagery—colossal statues flanking a temple entrance with crowds of tiny figures below—to associate the product with ancient grandeur and exoticism. A cigarette package floats prominently in the center. The accompanying text (partially visible on the left) appears to make a humorous comparison, though it's difficult to read completely in this image. The satire likely plays on the absurdity of marketing cigarettes using monumental Egyptian architecture, or makes a joke connecting smoking to Egyptian mummies or mortality. This reflects early 20th-century advertising's casual use of exotic imagery and *Life* magazine's satirical approach to commercial culture.