Life, 1924-01-24 · page 35 of 36
Life — January 24, 1924 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not satire or political content. It promotes Pall Mall's new "Specials" product line during what appears to be the Depression era (pricing suggests 1930s). The sketch shows a domestic leisure scene: a woman attending to a man relaxing in an easy chair—the "Luxury Hour" when he feels "entitled to life's best." This reflects period advertising conventions romanticizing masculine comfort and leisure. The ad's pitch emphasizes value: same premium quality tobacco in a smaller package at lower cost (20 cigarettes for 30¢ versus regulars). The marketing frames this as making luxury "equally an Economy smoke"—appealing to consumers during economic hardship who still wanted quality goods at affordable prices. The "famous red box" references Pall Mall's recognizable packaging and established brand reputation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
acon i) Try them tonight Sor your Luxury Hour -that easy chair hour when every man feels entitled to life's best PALL MALL Specials New size-plain ends only 20 for 30¢ No change in size or price of PALL MALL Regulars [cork tp ] The new Pall Mall Specials are not new in quality and distinction. The quality is old; it’s Pall Mall quality to its last golden tobacco shred; the same matchless blend of the choicest orien- tal leaf that has made Pall Mall the peer of fine cigarettes for nearly three decades. Only the size and the price have been changed—to give you 20 cigarettes for 30c; to make this Lux- ury smoke equally an Economy smoke. WEST OF THE ROCKIES 20 for35¢ Same famous red box; same peerless quality but anez size; a bigger value comicbooks.com