Life — May 13, 1915 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Richmond Straight Cut Cigarettes Advertisement This is primarily a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. The page celebrates Richmond Straight Cut cigarettes, produced by Allen & Ginter (Liggett & Myers successor) in Richmond, Virginia. The advertisement uses patriotic imagery—showing the U.S. Capitol Building and referencing America's founding—to market the product. It claims the cigarettes were created in 1871, the same year Washington D.C. began major development, and boasts 44 years of consistent quality. The ad targets "gentlemen of the First Families of Virginia," appealing to regional pride and social status. The packaging shown includes a tin box option (50 for 40 cents; 100 for 75 cents). This reflects late-19th/early-20th-century advertising practices: linking consumer products to nationalism and social prestige.