Life, 1919-11-27 · page 35 of 36
Life — November 27, 1919 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **tobacco advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Prince Albert pipe tobacco and cigarettes from R.J. Reynolds (1919). The illustration shows a man smoking contentedly—likely meant to represent an idealized consumer or possibly a celebrity endorsement (the "Prince Albert" brand name itself). The text uses exuberant, almost absurdist language typical of early 20th-century advertising: smoking will transform your life, eliminate "smoke-sorrows," and provide endless enjoyment. The phrase "General Approval" appears to personify public consensus. **For modern readers**: This reflects pre-regulation tobacco marketing, when cigarettes were advertised directly in mainstream magazines with extravagant health/happiness claims. The enthusiastic tone and promises of life-changing pleasure would now be illegal advertising. The emphasis on different package formats (tins, humidors) highlights how smoking was then a normalized, socially celebrated practice worthy of premium packaging.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
P. A. has such a joy’us way of making men glad about jimmy pipes! To shoot it quick:—Prince Albert turns over a new leaf in your smoke-career! Shovels smokesorrows right out the attic airshaft and throws wide open the smoke-section-shutters! Talk about letting in a flood of smokesunshine! Bet your pet luckystone that the best you ever heard tell about can’t hold a candle with what Prince Albert will hand you seven days out of every week! And, then, some-on-the-side! Smoking Prince Albert is just about twins with having the top time of your life on each fire-up! It gives you a new idea of how delightful a jimmy pipe or a home-rolled cigarette can be! Such flavor and fragrance Copyright 1919 by KJ. Reynolds Tobsece Co, Awaiting your say-so, you'll find toppy red bags, tidy red tins, hand- fome pound and half pound tin hu- midors—and—that classy, practical pound crystal glass humidor with Sponge moistener top that keeps Prince Albert in such perfect condition? and coolness; such freedom from bite and parch! Prove out personally that Prince Albert's exclusive patented process really does cut out bite and parch! Talk about ringing the bell every time you take just one more little smoke! You'll agree with your old fellow citizen, General Approval, that Prince Albert puts a man on the firing line with a pipe or cigarette, and keeps him there; that it sends all previous smoke setto records to the rear-ranks; that it just slams in one good time on top of another so fast, so happy-like, you realize that heretofore you've been hunting regular-man-sport with the wrong ammunition! R. J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, Winston-Salem, N. C, comicbooks.com