Life, 1920-12-16 · page 44 of 45
Life — December 16, 1920 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. The image shows well-dressed opera-goers in top hats and formal attire outside New York's Metropolitan Opera House, establishing an association between Fatima cigarettes and high society. The "joke" or selling point: the ad claims that during the previous opera season, Fatima cigarettes outsold all competitors among the Metropolitan Opera's elite audiences. This attempts to position the brand as the cigarette of choice for wealthy, cultured New Yorkers. The text emphasizes Fatima's "Turkish blend," marketing it as superior to other Turkish cigarettes for its richness and lack of "oily heaviness." **Historical context**: This represents early 20th-century advertising strategy—using class association and aspirational imagery to sell products. There is no political commentary; the opera setting simply signals sophistication and wealth to potential buyers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
...and at New York’s Home of Grand Opera’ A fact: All during last season at the Metropolitan Opera House—whose every audience is typical of the best in New York society— the sales of Fatima exceeded those of any other cigarette. ‘ —more proof of | 4 , eejust enough Kiggetontipretitacn®, Torkish a At most exclusive clubs eis the leading is F ‘ ‘ ‘ 1's famous ‘just h Turkish"? blend 4 lacks the oily heaviness of 7 . ive, **all-Turkish™ : ettes, but hasa |] jn s3 and richness CIGARE I I F S not found in any other | r Torkish Blend cigarette, For Christmas—Cartons of 200 appropriately wrapped. comicbooks.com