Life, 1920-04-01 · page 51 of 60
Life — April 1, 1920 — page 51: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or editorial content. It's a 1920s-era Camel cigarette ad from Life magazine, published by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The imagery shows a camel (the brand mascot) against a dark background, with cigarette packs displayed. The headline uses the idiom "dollars to doughnuts" (meaning a sure bet) to claim Camels are superior at any price. The copy emphasizes qualities modern readers would find shocking in advertising: claims that Camels are "mellow mild" yet have full "body," produce no "unpleasant cigaretty aftertaste," and leave no odor. These selling points reflect early-20th-century anxieties about tobacco's downsides. The ad also highlights the Turkish-domestic tobacco blend and scientific packaging—marketing strategies targeting "fastidious smokers" concerned with quality. **Context for modern readers**: This represents an era before cigarette health warnings, when tobacco companies openly advertised health and taste claims that would be illegal today.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE: It’s dollars to doughnuts— no man ever smoked a better cigarette at any price! CIGARETTES How you'll relish every refreshing puff of a Camel cigarette; how Camels unusual flavor will appeal to you without a chance of tiring your taste! Your test will prove Camels the greatest cigarette revela- tion you ever encountered! Camels quality is as remarkable as Camels expert blend of choice Turkish and choice Domestic to- baccos, and you will prefer this Camel blend to either kind smoked straight! Your satisfaction and contentment smoking Camels will be so out of the ordinary you'll want to talk about their many distinctive features. For instance, Camels are delightfully mellow mild. You can smoke them liberally. Yet that desirable “body” is all there! Another thing that makes Camels attractive to fas- tidious smokers—they leave no unpleasant cigaretty aftertaste nor unpleasant cigaretty odor! Camels answer every cigarette desire any smoker ever had. Prove that yourself—compare the enjoyment Camels quality and blend so gener- ously provide with that of any cigarette in the world at any price! Camels are sold everywhere in scientifically sealed packages of 20 cigarettes for 20 cents; or ten packages (200 cigarettes) in a glassine eaper-covered carton. We strongly recommend this carton for the home or office upply or when you travel, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Winston-Salem, N. C. comicbooks.com