Life, 1919-08-28 · page 40 of 40
Life — August 28, 1919 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **cigarette/tobacco advertisement**, not political satire. The page features an illustration of four men—apparently an umpire (center, in lighter clothing) and three other figures—with the caption joking that "a friendly pipeful makes even the umpire seem almost human." The humor relies on the era's common stereotype that baseball umpires were cantankerous and inhuman in their calls. The implication is that Velvet tobacco's pleasant qualities could humanize even this notoriously disagreeable figure. The ad emphasizes the product's authenticity ("Ole Kentucky Burley aged for two long years") and its sensory appeal—mellowness, coolness, and taste. The price of 15¢ indicates this is from the early 20th century. The signature appears to be from the advertiser rather than a cartoonist commenting on social issues.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
onest to Goodness Ole Kentucky Burley— aged for two long years by Nature’s way—in wooden hogsheads. That’s the true story of Velvet. Judge Velvet with your eyes wide open. It is just the good old honest tobac- co that it looks and smells. But the mellow, mellow, mellowness—the coolness and the comfort of it! The taste! Well, a pipeful of Velvet proves more than a page of print. Play Ball. Kigpetentiy srs Blancos Try rolling a cool, mild Velvet cigarette A friendly pipeful makes even the umpire seem almost human, ys comicbooks.comm