Life, 1918-08-08 · page 5 of 36
Life — August 8, 1918 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Fatima cigarettes by claiming they're sold more frequently than competitors at all six tobacco stands in the U.S. Capitol building, supposedly because of preference among "big business and professional men from all sections of the United States." The advertisement features an illustration of the Capitol building with crowds of people outside, designed to evoke prestige and authority. The tagline calls Fatima "A Sensible Cigarette," and includes a testimonial about how men who smoke it "think straight and decide quickly." This reflects early 20th-century advertising practices: using government institutions and appeals to masculinity/professional success to market tobacco products—tactics that would later become illegal.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
...and at all 6 stands in the Capitol building cA fact: The 6 tobacco stands in the Capitol building at Washington are patronized mainly,by the big business and professional men from all sections of the United States who are constantly com- ing into and passing out of Washington. At each one of these stands more Fatimas are sold every day than any other cigarette, regardless of price—which seems to show that the preference for Fatima is really nation-wide. FATIMA A Sensible Cigarette Men who think straight and decide quickly like & cigarette that, besides pleasing their taste, leaves them feeling fit throughout the day.