Life — March 14, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. The large illustration shows a caricatured man with exaggerated Middle Eastern features (mustache, cap) smoking a cigarette while holding a box of Murad cigarettes. The ad's text reads "Everywhere Why? Smaryrnos [sic]—Makers of the Highest Grade Turkish and Egyptian Cigarettes in the World," with packaging visible showing "Murad" branding. This represents early 20th-century advertising that relied on ethnic stereotyping to market "exotic" tobacco products. The caricature exploits Orientalist imagery—associating the product with a foreign, masculine figure—to appeal to American consumers seeking sophisticated imported goods. The humor derives from crude ethnic characterization rather than political commentary.