Life, 1927-05-26 · page 27 of 39
Life — May 26, 1927 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **tobacco advertisement**, not political satire. It appears in Life magazine (likely early 20th century) promoting Old Briar pipe tobacco. The image depicts a massive crowd of men—representing satisfied customers—gathering around an enormous box of Old Briar tobacco, visually emphasizing the product's popularity and universal appeal. The advertisement claims thousands of pipe smokers praise it as "the best pipe smoke ever made." The sales pitch emphasizes value: Old Briar costs only marginally more than cheaper tobaccos while offering superior smoothness, mildness, and aroma. A coupon offers a promotional deal—a 50-cent humidor box plus a free 25-cent package for interested customers. **Historical context**: This reflects an era when tobacco advertising was unregulated and celebrated in mainstream magazines. The "multitude" imagery was common marketing rhetoric of the period, using crowd appeal as a persuasion technique.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ee EY TOBACCO | “THE BEST PIPE SMOKE EVER MADE!” A VAST MULTITUDE OF PIPE SMOKERS 1n- Peay er stantly welcomed and praised ty Boles Old Briar. Thousands upon cro a a! igs thousands claim Old Briar to voks e ary RRS be «the best pipe smoke ever et Lae made.”’ tha yi a : yi Se p The additional enjoyment, ero nie i; , satisfaction and pipe comfort ita 3 dala you get out of a pipeful of con- } " Old Briar costs but a fraction pper ship , aie i. of a cent more than ordinary and- P CAT Sia leene G tobaccos. some has sea the (the elly, sling Ving ap- IF YOUR DEALER DOES NOT HAVE OLD BRIAR Tear out this coupon and mail to: United States Tobacco Co., Richmond, Va. U.S. A. Light up your pipeful of Old Briar, Let the ripe fragrance of Old Briar creep up your pipe’s stem. Enjoy every bit of its full, pleasant aroma — its rich body— its extra smoothness. Sn Notice how mild and cool it is— how completely satisfying. Kal leflneourneype pr vigvommodlyner repre patlioted a 4 ¥. Old Briar 50c humidor box. In addition, ill include Then you will know why this wonderful tobacco continues to ove 25¢ pocket package of Old Briar — extra — If you lo- . . . clude your dealer's name. Send no money, but pay the win the praise of pipe smokers everywhere. postinan Soe when he delivers your order. ‘Tear out the coupon, now, while it's handy! Generations of tobacco culture, years of selecting and of testing m= mt the finest leaf tobacco, of scientific mellowing and blending, have gone into the perfecting of Old Briar. IT ALL SHOWS UP IN THE SMOKE. TO DEALERS: Old Briar is sold in Pocket packages at 25c and Humidor boxes at 50c, $1.00 and $2.00. If your jobber has not supplied you, write us and we will send you a supply by prepaid Parcel Post at regular Dealers’ prices. UNITED STATES TOBACCO COMPANY, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, U.S. A. comicbooks.com