Life — December 3, 1914 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **cigarette advertisement** for "Egyptian Deities" brand cigarettes, available in "Plain End or Cork Tip" styles. The tagline reads "The Utmost in Cigarettes." The ad features an elderly man with a white beard, seated and contemplative, examining what appears to be Egyptian artifacts or decorative items around him. The staging suggests scholarly or antiquarian interest—likely invoking associations of sophistication and cultural refinement to market the product. The "Egyptian Deities" branding capitalizes on early 20th-century fascination with Egyptology (possibly referencing recent major archaeological discoveries). The advertisement uses this exotic imagery to position the cigarettes as premium, cultured products for discerning consumers—a common advertising strategy of the era equating cigarette smoking with worldliness and intellectual status.