Life — October 27, 1927 — page 36: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not political satire. The image shows a cowboy on horseback in a desert landscape (appearing to be the American Southwest, with a saguaro cactus visible) encountering two men with what looks like surveying equipment. The ad's tagline—"Make yourself at home!"—pairs the rugged, independent cowboy imagery with Chesterfield cigarettes. The accompanying text claims the cigarettes' "natural tobacco taste is winning a welcome unparalleled in all cigarette history." The appeal is straightforward: associating the product with American frontier masculinity and freedom. The cowboy represents authenticity and self-reliance—qualities the advertiser wants consumers to associate with smoking Chesterfields. This was typical 1920s-30s tobacco marketing strategy, using idealized American imagery to sell cigarettes.