Life, 1927-12-29 · page 40 of 41
Life — December 29, 1927 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Camel cigarette advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. Dated 1927, it represents straightforward product marketing from the early tobacco advertising era. The image shows a crowd of working-class people (men in hats and coats) gathered around a giant Camel cigarette package labeled "Life"—suggesting cigarettes as desirable lifestyle products. The text emphasizes quality, smoothness, and widespread popularity among "modern smokers." **What a modern reader should know:** This advertisement predates any health warnings about smoking. Tobacco companies openly marketed cigarettes as premium consumer goods associated with sophistication and satisfaction. The phrase "Have a Camel!" was an actual slogan. The page reflects 1920s advertising conventions when such promotions faced no regulatory restrictions and appeared in mainstream magazines without controversy. The "Life" label ironically pairs cigarettes with vitality—a marketing strategy that would become deeply controversial once smoking's health dangers were scientifically established.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The cigarette you can be fond of .. . LRO “ © 1927 SEEK and search wherever you will, you'll never find a smoke like Camel. So loyal and so fine. Camels reveal the delicate tastes and fragrances of the choicest to- baccos grown. That is why they never tire. Why each succeeding Camel tastes more smooth and mellowy mild. Millions upon millions of smokers have learned to rely upon this supreme tobacco quality. They are modern smokers in the most particular sense and they place Camels first. They demand goodness and enjoyment. They have elevated Camels to the highest popularity ever known. If you smoke for pleasure Camels will prove the cigarette that you can really enjoy, you can like Camels so much, be- cause they’re always so satisfyingly mellow. So smooth and mild. “Have a Camel!” R. J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, WINSTON-SALEM, N. C. comicbooks.com