Life — October 2, 1924 — page 40: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a cigarette advertisement for Pall Mall, not political satire. The ad features the British Royal Coat of Arms prominently displayed above a box of Pall Mall "Special Size" cigarettes (priced at 20 cents) and a single cigarette. The advertisement claims that "At thirty cigarettes for twenty cigarettes Pall Mall Specials are the greatest quality purchase in the world." The tagline reads "THEY ARE GOOD TASTE." The royal heraldry appears designed to convey prestige and quality through association with British tradition and authority. This is straightforward commercial advertising from Life magazine's pages, using symbols of established legitimacy to market the product to American consumers.