Life, 1928-05-17 · page 29 of 42
Life — May 17, 1928 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **cigar advertisement**, not political satire. The page uses social commentary as a sales pitch. The opening references a common domestic trope: domineering wives forcing husbands outdoors to smoke, citing O. Henry's stories. The illustration shows three men in formal dress, apparently enjoying cigars together. The ad's argument: **cigar culture has evolved**. Just as men's eating habits have become lighter (17-course dinners → 5 courses) thanks to sports like golf and tennis, cigars too have become milder and less intrusive. Haddon Hall represents this "modern" sensibility—mild enough that wives needn't object to indoor smoking. The satire is gentle: it pokes fun at restrictive Victorian-era wives while positioning the product as evidence of masculine refinement and progress. The pitch essentially claims: buy this cigar and marital harmony follows. This reflects 1920s-30s gender dynamics and consumer advertising's strategy of positioning products as symbols of social change.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Tis told that strong-willed wives would force their husbands to the park for a smoke Even so true-to-life a chronicler as O. Henry tells of disconsolate hus- bands forbidden to smoke in the heuse, lest the curtains be touched by even the tiniest wisp of cigar smoke. Happily that idea has changed since the go’s. . . but then, cigars are changed, too. Who would quarrel with the fra- grance of amoderncigar—like Haddon Hall—the very epitome of mi/dness. The mildness of this excellent cigar symbolizes the changed habits of men. Once huge 17 course din- ners were the style. Now five cours- es. Billowing paunches are rarer now thanks to golf, tennis, polo. And cigars are milder, lighter—like your dinner tonight in contrast to the Lu- cullian eating orgy of thirty years ago. The Haddon Hall cigar is as mild as a soft breeze through the garden, but flavorful as old brandy. It’s a perfect demonstration of how su- premely satisfying a mild cigar can be, Haddon Halls await at the leading shops around New York. All shapes and sizes from the short Café Noir to the Corona de Luxe. 10¢ to 20¢, according to size. D. EMIL KLEIN CO., NEW YORK Haddon Hall QC 1 (7eurs ND comicbooks.com