Life, 1926-06-24 · page 40 of 41
Life — June 24, 1926 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **commercial advertisement**, not political satire. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company uses Fourth of July patriotism to market Camel cigarettes. The ad conflates smoking with American freedom and national pride. When bands play and cannons boom on Independence Day, the copy urges readers to "have a Camel"—equating cigarette enjoyment with patriotic duty. The text claims Camel "brought liberation to so many millions of smokers," deliberately mirroring Revolutionary War language. Two photographs show crowds celebrating Independence Day, establishing patriotic atmosphere. The product image displays the distinctive Camel pack. **Why this matters today:** This represents pre-regulation tobacco advertising that explicitly weaponized patriotism to sell cigarettes. Modern readers may be shocked by the brazen association between national freedom and smoking, or that such advertising was legal and appeared in mainstream magazines. This reflects 1920s attitudes toward tobacco's acceptability and advertising practices now prohibited.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
When Fourth of July bands are playing—and the cannon are roaring out their celebration of another day of Independence and Freedom —have a Camel! WHEN the noisy shouts and songs of freedom burst forth on Independence Day. And bands and parades and booming cannon join in the joyous celebration, When you think again that our country and the men in it must be free—haveaCamel! For no other cigarette ever brought such liberation to so many millions of smokers. On the day of its birth, Camel decreed the end of tired taste, of ciga- retty after-taste. Mild and mellow flavor, full enjoy- ment have made Camel the most celebrated name in the history of smoking. So this Independence Day, as you watch our coun- try’s defenders march by in inspiring parade — know then the deepest goodness that ever came from a ciga- rette. Have the utmost in smoking enjoyment. TTave a Camel! Camels represent the utmost in cigarette quality. The choicest of Turkish and Domestic tobaccos are blended into Camels by master blenders and the fi ich cigarette paper is made especially for them. N er cigarette is like Camels. They are the o1 >| eri phe 4 pare Camels with any choice of experienced smokers. ere Camels, with omy price. ‘Company Winston-Salem, N. C. comicbooks.com