Life, 1921-01-27 · page 36 of 36
Life — January 27, 1921 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a **cigarette advertisement** for Fatima brand. The page features an illustration of men in bowler hats examining an automobile at what appears to be an auto show (likely the Grand Central Palace in New York or Chicago's Coliseum). The ad claims that Fatima cigarettes were the most-smoked brand at these two major automobile shows. The advertising argument: Fatima's popularity proves that consumer taste has shifted from expensive, fancy-packaged cigarettes toward simpler, inexpensive paper-packaged ones that offer better value through superior tobacco quality and blending. This reflects early 20th-century marketing positioning Fatima as democratically accessible while maintaining quality — contrasting with previously elite cigarette brands.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
... and at the two great Automobile Shows cA fact: During the big New York show in the Grand Central Palace last year, 3 well as at Chicago’s show at the Coliseum, more Fatimas were smoked than any other cigarette. FATIMA CIGARETTES These two great events attract motorists from every section of the country. Hence this preference for Fatima is more than usually significant. It clearly shows that in cigarettes, as in everything else, the style has changed. Formerly expensive, fancy-boxed cigarettes were “all the go.” Today Fatima with its in- expensive paper package is everywhere the accepted standard of good taste. Why? Because men have come to recognize that Fatima gives better value both in the quality of its tobaccos and the skill with which they are blended. comicbooks.com