Life, 1928-04-19 · page 35 of 43
Life — April 19, 1928 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a 1928 cigarette advertisement disguised as social commentary. The main illustration shows a hostess gesturing disapprovingly at three formally dressed men, referencing outdated Victorian-era etiquette that forbade smoking indoors due to damage to furnishings. The ad's humor targets modern readers by suggesting social attitudes have "fortunately" evolved—men no longer need fear a hostess's complaints about smoke on curtains. The pitch then pivots: cigars themselves have improved. Modern "1928" cigars are now mild and pleasant, unlike older, harsher varieties. The satire works by framing changing social norms around smoking as progress for "man's peace of mind." Dinner courses have reduced from seventeen to five; similarly, cigars are now "mild" and refined rather than offensive. The advertisement positions Haddon Hall cigars as sophisticated, genteel products suitable for polite society—selling them as status symbols aligned with modern elegance and consideration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life Then would the hostess sniff - «+ and moan about her curtains recall when it simply wasn’t re- spectable to have the faintest smoke- puff touch the cur- tains. The idea has changed fortunately for man’s peace of mind... but then, so have cigars. They've changed with every other fashion. Dinners now are five courses instead of seventeen. And cigars are different — mildness is the first con- sideration. Your 1928 man prefers cigars of the Haddon Hall type. Mildness, fragrance, mellowness— a Haddon Hall fairly whispers the words to you withevery soft, blue puff. Satisfying—and soothing enough to keep you contented with life, even when a dinner partner is boring. You'll find Haddon Halls in New York’s leading tobacco shops. 25¢ déwn to 10¢, according to sizes, which range from the Corona de Luxe to the brief Café Noir. Or—may we send you a folder? D. EMIL KLEIN COMPANY, INC., 438 £. QIST ST., LENOX 5148 Haddon Hall 0 1 Cigars \_9 comicbooks.com