Life, 1918-10-03 · page 5 of 34
Life — October 3, 1918 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. It markets Fatima brand cigarettes to U.S. Navy officers by claiming over 80% of cigarettes sold in Officers' Mess aboard naval vessels are Fatimas. The advertisement emphasizes two selling points: the brand's appealing taste and that Fatimas "never talk back"—meaning they don't "bite back" or cause throat irritation if smoked in excess. The illustration shows a dramatic scene of a naval destroyer with sailors on shore, with smoke rings rising from the cigarette. This was standard early-20th-century advertising imagery designed to associate the product with military prestige and masculine authority.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘CTF E* ...and with Navy Officers, it’s a little over 80% : A fact: Sales reports show that throughout the U. S. Navy—on battleships, cruisers, destroyers and all other types of naval vessels—over 80% of all the cigarettes sold in Officers’ Mess are Fatimas. Among the men too, of course, Fatimas are a big favorite. oligqalte Myers Tobacco Cz. FATIMA A Sensible Cigarette This preference for Fatima in not alone to, tthe fact that cen if aman should smoke comicbooks.com