Cigarette AdsVintageCigarette ads have always been controversial. But what about those old vintage ads? We still like them!
Yes, we know! Smoking cigarettes is very harmful to your health. That has been well documented. But, that's not what this page is about. It's about those very cool vintage ads of the past! Way cool! On this page, we'll show you a few of the vintage "smoke-stick" ads that we have come across. Where do we find our old cigarette ads, you ask? We'll, we like collecting magazines. Actually, old magazines! Most of these old magazines are loaded with vintage ads. And of course, smoking was much more popular back then as compared to present day times. Believe us, you'll be amazed at how many different kinds of ads that you will find!
Men smoked! Women smoked! And, yes, many teens smoked too! Thus, in the early-mid 1900's, cigarette advertising was very popular and appealing (to many). It was a common sight on almost anything...anywhere! Let's begin with a (very) brief history on cigarette advertising.
Brief History of Cigarette AdsAds for tobacco use appeared as far back as the late 1700's.But, it wasn't until the late 1800's with the development and of lithography, that cigarette advertising began to flourish. (These ads came from Radio Guide-1938 and Life magazine-1941, respectively. They are for Chesterfield cigarettes and Bond Street Pipe Tobacco, again, respectively.) Advertising cards, used originally to help protect the cigarettes, were inserted into each package.
They usually contained pictures of baseball players and other famous people. This Camels Ad contained endorsements from 20 of America's top baseball players in the 1950's. Each player is proudly holding a lit Camels cigarette in their hand, along with a short statement endorsing the Camel brand name.
Like anything else, people began to collect them and the cigarette manufactures really "keyed-in" on this unique marketing idea.
By war time (WW I), many popular magazines and newspapers printed a variety of these ads. Liberty magazine (this one from 1939) was no exception. They used a famous sports expert, Joe Williams to endorse Camels slower burning tobacco, giving you the equivilent of "an extra 5 smokes per day!" ...and not just Sports figures were used! All of the major cigarette companies glamourized their products by using movie stars and well known celebrities. It was a huge success! And remained so for many, many years to come.
The next ad, is for Chesterfield cigarettes, featured well known actress, Joan Fontaine. This ad emphasizes Chesterfield's mild taste! Interesting, it also mentions her upcoming movie, co-starring James Stewart. The ad below features Arthur Godfrey, another famous celebrity from that era. Once again, the ad focuses on the mild taste of the Chesterfield cigarette. But wait, there is a specific reason for all of this. Around the 1950's, many people began to complain about the harshness of cigarettes; specifically on the nose and throat. So, to combat those common complaints, a few of the cigarette companies, specifically Chesterfield, began to conduct their own studies to disprove those notions and give their customers some added confidence.
In fact, this ad mentions that a "Medical Specialist" conducted a "10 month, bi-monthly study" on a group of smokers, including 45% Chesterfield smokers. You can clearly see the bold headline!
Interesting, no mention was made of smoking and its effects on the lungs. These studies were yet to come. But, some improvements were made, such as placing filters on cigarettes and using a milder tobacco.
The sample of ads on this page represent only a miniscule amount of tremendous amount of cigarette ads printed down through the years.
Random Notes...
Wow! This cigarette ad is almost scary. Look at those girls eyes! Old Gold cigarettes is brand name owned by the P. Lorillard Company. They were known to be America's oldest tobacco merchants, dating back to 1760. In this ad, they claimed to be adding something new...something called Latakia. This mediterranean tobacco, with its flavorful leaves, added a "special seasoning" to Old Gold's. Hmmn! It's an interesting ad to say the least...Oct. 27, 1941 - Life Magazine. We may have to do some more research on this one!
Our Advice? Well, collecting vintage cigarette advertising isn't for everyone. But, there are collectors out there. There are always collectors out there! Nonetheless, it is an extremely interesting topic to study. It is almost unavoidable, if you collect anything near to paper emphemera. You will see it! A lot of it! Why not collect it? P.S. Once again, our site is about collecting vintage cigarette ads and preserving them...not about glamourizing cigarette smoking! Velvet Pipe Tabacco and Union Leader Pipe Tabacco. These two tabacco ads both appeared in the same issue of Liberty magazine, Oct. 7, 1939.
Velvet Pipe Tabacco and Union Leader Pipe Tabacco. These two tabacco ads both appeared in the same issue of Liberty magazine, Oct. 7, 1939. The Tareyton cigarette ad below appeared in the June 8, 1956 issue of Collier's. Like the other cigarette advertisers of this era, Tareyton promoted their filter tips and quality tabacco...and great taste! Every Easy Puff a Treat
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