Life, 1919-07-10 · page 50 of 50
Life — July 10, 1919 — page 50: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a **cigarette advertisement** appearing in *Life* magazine (dated July 10, based on the header). The page features a formal portrait photograph of a man in dark clothing with a white shirt collar, presented as an endorsement. The ad copy emphasizes "common-sense features" of Fatima cigarettes, particularly their "mild and delicately balanced Turkish blend" and "plain and inexpensive package." The pitch targets male smokers by appealing to practicality: the product offers good taste without excess, and better value through simple packaging rather than elaborate branding. This represents early-20th-century cigarette marketing before health warnings—when tobacco companies advertised directly in mainstream publications using masculine authority figures and emphasizing product quality as a selling point. The "sensible cigarette" framing suggests positioning Fatima as a rational choice for discerning men.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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