Life, 1920-07-08 · page 39 of 40
Life — July 8, 1920 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Camel cigarette advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page features an ornate pyramid illustration with camels, designed to evoke exotic appeal and quality. The ad's claims—that Camels won't tire your taste, leave no unpleasant aftertaste, or create cigarette odor—reflect early 20th-century tobacco marketing before health warnings. The "blend of choice Turkish and choice Domestic tobaccos" positioning suggests premium quality. For modern readers, the stark contrast is jarring: this straightforward product pitch treats smoking as purely pleasurable with no health concerns mentioned. The confident claims about taste endurance and lack of odor odor now read as absurdly false advertising. The pricing (20 cents for 20 cigarettes) provides historical context. This represents a pre-regulation era when tobacco companies made unsubstantiated health and sensory claims freely in mainstream publications.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE- Man alive— Listen! You can smoke Camels till the cows come home without tiring your taste! AMELS bring to you every joy you ever looked for in a cigarette! They are so new to your taste, so delightful in their mellow mildness and flavor, and so refreshing, you will marvel that so much enjoyment could be put into a cigarette! = To the most fastidious smoker, Camels are a - revelation! Camels quality is as unusual as Camels expert blend of choice Turkish and choice Domestic to- baccos which you will prefer to either kind of tobacco smoked straight! No matter how liber- ally you smoke, Camels never will tire your taste! You will marvel at Camels smooth “body”. And, your delight will also be keen when you realize that Camels leave no unpleasant cigaretty aftertaste nor unpleasant cigaretty odor! For your own personal proof, compare Camels with any ciga- Tette 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-paper-covered carton. We strongly recommend this carton for the home or office supply or when you travel. R, J, REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Winston-Salem, N. C, comicbooks.com