Life, 1917-05-10 · page 33 of 46
Life — May 10, 1917 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **tobacco advertisement**, not political satire. It features five named officers from New York's 7th Regiment, photographed during Mexican Border service (likely 1916-1917). The ad leverages their military authority to promote "Bull" Durham rolling tobacco. The phrase **"roll their own"** is a double entendre—literally about hand-rolling cigarettes, but also evoking self-reliance and American independence. The text claims soldiers and "independent Americans" carry Durham tobacco as essential equipment, equating smoking with patriotic self-sufficiency. The smaller panels promote Durham for pipe tobacco and cigarettes. This represents **early 20th-century tobacco marketing**, when such products were widely advertised without health warnings, often using military or masculine imagery to build credibility and appeal. The specific reference to the Mexican Border suggests timing when U.S. military operations were topical and could be leveraged for commercial purposes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lieut. F.D, CONKLIN Batt. Adj. J. P. DANIELL |) Uncle Sam’s whole Army and Navy “roll their own.” Good old “Bull” Durham is the smoke of ) all branches and all ranks of the Service—part of |||) the equipment of every soldier boy and jack tar. | Millions of other independent Americans always ) carry the “makings” with them—ready at all times to ‘roll their own” and “‘hold their own.’? Lieut.-Col. ROBERT McLEAN Snapped during their recent service on the Mexican Border, Lieut. F.J. MURPHY — Lieut. CHAS. GC, ALLEYN Look for the Famous Muslin Sack || Officers of New York’s 7th Regiment “Roll Their Own” You can make for yourself, with your own hands, the mildest, most fragrant, most enjoyable ciga- rette in the world—and the most economical. Machines can’t imitate it. The only way to get that freshness, that flavor, that lasting satisfaction —is to “roll your own” with good old “Bull” Durham. Durkee with with ham ont pipe tobacco. ~ ys wba suger iN Your coffee - comichooks. elu)