Life — August 14, 1919 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is not satire or a political cartoon—it's a straightforward **cigarette advertisement** for Camel brand cigarettes, published in *Life* magazine. The ad promotes Camels at 18 cents per package, emphasizing their "full-bodied mellow mildness" and unique blend of Turkish and domestic tobacco. It claims smokers will notice freedom from "unpleasant cigaretty aftertaste or any unpleasant cigaretty odor." The page includes product packaging images and a circular detail showing the cigarette's internal structure. The manufacturer is R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. By modern standards, the health claims are remarkable—no mention of health risks exists. This reflects the pre-1960s era when tobacco advertising freely promoted cigarettes without warning labels or restrictions.