Life, 1914-09-17 · page 48 of 48
Life — September 17, 1914 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes "Bull" Durham rolling tobacco by appealing to early-20th-century class aspirations. The ad depicts well-dressed men in formal attire—"club-men, connoisseurs, bon-vivants, millionaire sportsmen"—to suggest that rolling your own cigarettes from Bull Durham tobacco is the mark of sophistication and refined taste. The image on the right shows celebratory figures, implying social approval. The central joke/marketing pitch: hand-rolled cigarettes are superior to factory-made ones, positioning DIY tobacco rolling as a status symbol among the wealthy and fashionable. The ad offers free rolling papers and instruction booklets to encourage this practice. For modern readers, this reflects a period when mass-production was viewed skeptically by the elite, and personal craftsmanship signaled higher social standing—an irony, since Bull Durham was itself a mass-produced product selling *materials* for customization.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Smoke of the Smart Set is not the ready-made or even ready- made-to-order cigarette. Smart men of fashion everywhere—club-men, connoisseurs, bon-vivants, millionaire sportsmen—have discovered the keener enjoymentand greater satisfac- tion in the fresh cigarettes of unique flavor and delicious mildness they roll for themselves, to suit their individual taste, frommellow "Bull" Durham to- bacco. Today itis the very last word in correct form to "Roll Your Own." September 17, 1914 GENUINE ‘BULLE DURHAM SMOKING TOBACCO No other tobacco in the world has the wonderful sweet fragrance and ripe, natural mildness of "Bull" Durham. No other cigarettes have the exquisite smoothness and delightful freshness of "Bull" Durham hand-made cigarettes. "Bull" Dirham is a distinctive form of tobacco enjoyment, thoroughly appreciated by Smokers of experience and discrimination for the supreme, lasting, wholesome pleasure it affords. FREE Ask for FREE book of * papers” with each Sc sack An illustrated booklet, showing how to ‘Roll Your Own," and « Book of cigarette papers, will both fe mailed, free, to any address in U. S. on postal request. Address *Bull* Durham, Durham, N. C., Room 1295. THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY