Life — December 20, 1929 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **Lucky Strike cigarette advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page uses the headline "An Ancient Prejudice Has Been Removed" to claim that the tobacco industry's "toasting" process eliminates harmful irritants previously associated with cigarettes. The imagery shows a hand holding a gas mask—the "ancient prejudice" being the belief that cigarettes cause throat irritation and cough. By removing this concern through toasting, Lucky Strike argues it has made smoking safe and socially acceptable "by men and by women." This represents early 20th-century tobacco marketing that falsely claimed health benefits. The "American Intelligence" branding attempts to associate the product with progress and modernity. The advertisement is misleading propaganda, not genuinely satirical content.