Life, 1920-11-11 · page 44 of 44
Life — November 11, 1920 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. It appeared in *Life* magazine (likely early 20th century) and promotes Fatima brand cigarettes. The image shows a distinguished older gentleman in formal attire—presented as an exemplary "successful man"—to appeal to aspirational male readers. The advertisement argues that successful men smoke cigarettes, and specifically choose Fatima because it balances Turkish tobacco perfectly: straight Turkish cigarettes are "too much" (over-rich), while ordinary Turkish blends lack sufficient Turkish flavor. Fatima supposedly hits the "sensible" middle ground. The pitch relies on associating the product with success, masculinity, and refined taste. This was standard cigarette marketing before health warnings existed. The "sensible" framing is ironic to modern readers—the ad presents moderation in tobacco consumption as a selling point while promoting smoking itself.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE successful man, as you may have ob- served, is more often than not a smoker. And because of their mildness and conven- ience, cigarettes are his usual smoke. Nowadays many such men, a majority in fact, choose Fatima in preference both to straight Turkish cigarettes and to ordinary Turkish Blends. This is because straight Turkish ciga- rettes have too much Turkish they are over- rich. And ordinary Turkish Blends have too little Turkish—they are lacking in taste. But Fatima’s famous blend has just enough Turkish—just enough to please the taste without tiring it. FATIMA A Sensible Cigarette comicbooks.commyy