Life — July 19, 1928 — page 40: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It features "Tex" Rickard, identified as a "World Famous Sports Promoter," endorsing Lucky Strike cigarettes. The ad uses a celebrity testimonial format common in early 20th-century advertising. Rickard claims the cigarettes "never injure my throat" and states that friends "in all walks of life use and enjoy them." The product is marketed as "toasted" with "No Throat Irritation No Cough"—claims designed to address growing health concerns about smoking. This represents the era when tobacco companies freely used celebrity endorsements and made unsubstantiated health claims, before modern advertising restrictions and health warnings existed.