Life, 1926-05-27 · page 44 of 44
Life — May 27, 1926 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not satire—it's a straightforward Camel cigarette promotion from 1926. The ad associates smoking with leisurely golf, a sport then linked to affluence and relaxation. The text romanticizes the post-game cigarette as a reward after "glorious" athletic exertion, claiming Camel's superior tobacco blend and French paper deliver unmatched flavor without aftertaste, even with heavy smoking. The photographs show golfers in period dress on a course at twilight, framing cigarette consumption as part of an idealized lifestyle of outdoor gentlemanly pursuits. The copy emphasizes Camel's "choice tobaccos" and expert blending as proof of quality. **Modern context**: This predates widespread knowledge of smoking's health dangers. The ad's claims about never tiring the taste or leaving aftertaste would face immediate legal challenges today. The R.J. Reynolds company (Winston-Salem) directly targets experienced smokers as connoisseurs.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
When the first glorious day of golf is over—and the final putt sinks in the 18th cup— when the tense moments end in soft mellow twilight —have a Camel! WHEN it’s glorious evening on the greens. And the last long putt drops home on the 18th hole—have a Camel! For, all the world over, Camel fragrance and taste add joyous zest to healthful hours in the open. Camels never tire your taste, or leave a cigaretty after-taste, no matter how liberally you smoke them. This is the in- side story of Camel success —their choice tobaccos and perfect blending make them the utmost in cigarettes. So, this fine spring day, when your first glorious birdie ends its breathless flight. When you leave the long course to start home, tired and joyous — taste then the smoke that’s ad- mitted champion among the world’s experienced smokers. Know, then, the mellowest fragrance that ever came from a cigarette. Have a Camel! No other cigarette in the world is like Camels. Camels contain the if you choicest Turkish and Domestic tobaccos. The Camel blend is the trie tae vee Be umph of expert blenders, Even the Camel cigarette paper is the finest— Sem." We invite you to compare Camels - ith made especially in France. Into this one brand of cigarettes is con compare Camels with centrated the experience and skill of the largest tobacco organization in the world. at any price. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Winston-Salem, N. C. © 1926 comicbooks.com