Life, 1927-10-20 · page 2 of 48
Life — October 20, 1927 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an **advertisement, not satire or political commentary**. It promotes Melachrino cigarettes using a royal endorsement strategy common in early 20th-century marketing. The central figure is **Prince Wilhelm of Sweden**, identified by the cross emblem and heraldic shields. The ad claims he is "known far and wide as an ardent lover of good books of travel and plays" and endorses Melachrino cigarettes, stating they possess "a very mild and agreeable aroma." A handwritten note (purporting to be from the Prince) is included as testimonial. The pricing shows 30¢ for twenty cigarettes, 15¢ for ten. This exploits royal prestige to market cigarettes—a now-banned advertising practice. Modern readers would recognize this as misleading celebrity endorsement and health-hazardous product promotion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ORIGINAL MELACHRINO | “The One Cigarette Sold the“World Over™ E WILHELM of SWEDEN G v and famous as an lor. di of travel and plays. The prince is but one of the many scions of royalty and nobility the world over who smoke and endorse Melachrino cigarettes TRANSLATION This is to inform you that I have smoked the . very excellent Melachrino cigarettes and found 30¢ the Packet of 20 them to possess a very mild and agreeable aroma. ‘WILHELM 15 ¢ thePacket of 10 Cork Tips and Plain Ends ay Uw comicbooks.com