Life, 1916-09-14 · page 31 of 38
Life — September 14, 1916 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **tobacco advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It appears in *Life* magazine (page 459) promoting Harmony Pipe Blend tobacco by Liggett & Myers. The ad uses musical metaphor to market the product: tobacco blending is compared to musical "harmony," where different tobaccos blend "without a trace of discord," each contributing distinct qualities (aroma, richness, pungency, sweetness). The central image shows an ornate pipe display with the product label. The language emphasizes luxury and sophistication—"exquisite," "delicate," "rich mildness"—targeting gentlemen smokers. The price (15¢ for a tin) and distribution channels (clubs, hotels, tobacconists) indicate it's positioned as a premium product. This reflects early-20th-century advertising practices normalizing tobacco use before health concerns were widely publicized.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Bai | Gentlemen:Wé offer you Harmony Pipe Blend as the newest discovery in the art of blending tobaccos #7 cAnnouncement@ Harmony Pipe Blend has accomplished something NEW in smoking tobacco. It has succeeded in so inti- mately blending (or harmonizing) several different choice imported and domestic tobaccos that it has in reality produced a new, more delightful smoke flavor—AssoLUTELY WITHOUT A TRACE OP DISCORD. Each of these tobaccos plays its own part in giving Harmony its cool and characterful flavor. One is used for its exquisite ARoMA— one for its “fruity” ricuNess—one for its delicate puNcENcy — one because of its unusual swzeTNess—one for its full, mellow “sopy. The result isa new, more delicious flavor — it might be called “rich mildness” so delicately docs the rich savor of these tobaccos shade into mildness. But only your own, most cherished pipe can really reveal to you Harmony’s perfectly balanced taste. Legal MyrsTibcco Ce HARMONY MA PIPE BLEND &@ WHERE TO GET IT: At dubs, hotels and most tobacconists. If your dealer cannot supply you, enclose 15 cents in stamps, and we will send you this full-sized oneeighth pound tin, postage pre- paid. Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co., 212 Fifth Avenue, New York. TO THE DEALER: No one knows better than you that smokers have been waiting for a high-grade pipe blend at a reasonable price. Order Harmony Pipe Blend from your jobber, one pound or more, and it will be sent direct from the factory all charges prepaid,