Life, 1917-08-23 · page 40 of 40
Life — August 23, 1917 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **tobacco advertisement**, not political satire. The cartoon advertises Velvet brand tobacco using "Mother Nature" as a personified mascot. The imagery shows Mother Nature (depicted as an elderly woman in traditional dress) physically protecting tobacco from various "artificial methods"—represented by chaotic figures being chased away. These figures carry labels like "Artificial Method" and "Short Cuts," symbolizing industrial processing shortcuts competitors allegedly use. The advertisement's central claim is that Velvet uses only "natural curing for two years" in wooden hogsheads, without artificial additives, making it superior to competitors' products. The quote "Scat! I'm saving this for Velvet!" humorously portrays Mother Nature as actively defending the tobacco for this brand. A testimonial from a doctor reinforces the "natural is healthier" messaging popular in early 20th-century advertising. The price point—10 cents—targets working-class consumers. This represents pre-regulation tobacco marketing, when health claims were unsubstantiated and commonplace.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MIGHTY good doctor says to me once: “When it comes to curin’ folks, Nature is the real M. D.—I’m only her assist- ant.”” That's the way I feel about curin’ tobacco. f “Scat! I’m saving this for VELVET!’’ Mother Nature Protects Your Tobacco If You SmokeVELVET She sees to it that Velvet’s mellowness and aroma are not created by artificial methods, but by her very own. That is— A complete natural curing for two years, during which time the tobacco remains, untouched, in its original wooden hogsheads. At the end of two years it is made into Velvet and is as smooth as its name implies. It costs us more money to prepare Velvet in this way—it will cost you only 10 cents at the first store you come to, to prove Velvet. Lggette Myers Tobacco @. comicbookseeny