Life, 1915-12-02 · page 89 of 100
Life — December 2, 1915 — page 89: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Christmas-season tobacco advertisement**, not political satire. The page features an illustration of a distinguished older gentleman with a prominent mustache smoking a pipe, holding a jar of Velvet tobacco. The ad's appeal is sentimental rather than satirical: it frames pipe smoking as a meaningful gift that carries "friendship far beyond Christmas" and serves as a remembrance. It specifically targets both male recipients (suggesting the pipe as a gift) and women shoppers (encouraging humidor jars as presents for "the man you think most of"). The advertisement emphasizes quality through claims of two years' aging and mentions a "Grand Prix" award from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The messaging—with its nostalgic tone about memory and fellowship—capitalizes on wartime or holiday sentiment to market the product as something meaningful rather than merely consumable. This reflects early 20th-century advertising that positioned luxury goods as emotional rather than practical purchases.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
fren’ship far beyond Chris’mus, an’ its smoke be an incense to the memory o’ those who remembered you. i | ET yore pipe carry the fire o’ ELVET, the Smoothest Smoking Tobacco, in your pipe—how much it helps! With its smoothness, fragrance, full-flavored qualities mellowed in during its long, two years’ ageing—Nature’s way. Sc Metal-lined Bags 10c Tins One Pound Glass Humidors highest award—The Let its cheerful ‘‘homey’’ qualities bring you that ‘“‘all’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds’’ feeling. If you are a woman who reads this, try giving the man you think most of a humidor jar of VELVET for a Christmas present. It’s a chummy thing to do. A hint:—With every humidor jar of VELVET apleasing Christmas surprise. Panama - Pacific International Exposition’s Grand Prix —has been awarded to VELVET “for its superior quality.” Liggatte Myers Tabacco Cx comicbooks.com