We Want You… to Smoke
Tobacco Advertising in WWI
Like all American industries, tobacco companies were eager to drape themselves in the flag. These advertisements demonstrate the convergence of patriotism, war-time mobilization, and mass marketing.
Bull Durham
“The Makin’s”
American Tobacco Company
Durham, North Carolina
Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco was promoted to the fighting men of America as “the universal smoke of our army and navy for three generations.” These advertisements lace patriotism and the fervor of the soldier’s life into their sales pitches: “Fall in line with hundreds of thousands of red-blooded smokers,” “Rich, relishy, star-spangled taste,” “Officers and men alike all carry the ‘Makings’”
“The big, overshadowing reasons why ‘Bull’ Durham is so widely smoked…”
“Bull” Durham Smoking Tobacco advertisement
Collier’s Weekly, pages 32-33
November 18, 1916
“The Great American Smoke” [1 of 2]
“Bull” Durham Smoking Tobacco advertisement
Circa 1918
“The Great American Smoke” [2 of 2]
“Bull” Durham Smoking Tobacco advertisement
Circa 1918
“Utah Troops Enjoy the ‘Makings’ In Camp”
“Bull” Durham Smoking Tobacco advertisement
The American Magazine, page 101
Circa 1917
Chesterfield
“Rainbow Division”
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
Durham, North Carolina
“Gee! I’m in luck!”
Chesterfield advertisement
Life
Circa 1919
The two versions of this colorful advertisement feature a soldier from the famed 42nd Division, “The Rainbow Division.” The 42nd was among the first divisions to land in Europe from the United States as part of the American Expeditionary Force. The insignia featured in this advertisement is a later variation that was created specifically for the 42nd division. The rainbow motif would be adopted as the campaign colors of the many other American units and divisions fighting in World War I and was also used in service ribbons, campaign streamers and medals (for example, the World War One Victory Medal).
“Gee – I’m in luck!”
Chesterfield advertisement
Mid-Week Pictorial
May 20, 1919
Lucky Strike
“In Camp”
American Tobacco Company
Durham, North Carolina
This advertisement describes Lucky Strike as a favorite for over 40 years. However, the iteration of Lucky Strike being enjoyed by the troops was a new blend. The brand was developed to compete with the milder, more aromatic, and more popular Turkish tobacco blends. It was good timing, as the war made Turkish tobacco difficult to import and prohibitively expensive for consumers. The burley tobacco used in Lucky Strike was grown in the southeastern United States. Containing little sugar, burley was dipped in sweetening additives, then aged and toasted to retain the flavor. The name comes from an older brand of tobacco from Virginia. George Washington Hill, president of the American Tobacco Company, who championed Lucky Strike, served as a Red Cross major during the war and later received an Army commission to help organize the Motor Transport Corps.12
12The American Tobacco Company. (1954). “Sold American!” – the first fifty years (pp. 54-56). Durham, NC: American Tobacco Company.
“A right soldierly smoke”
Lucky Strike advertisement
Review of Reviews, page 129
Circa 1916
Muratti’s Ariston
“Cigarette Situations”
Muratti
London, England
When the Ottoman Empire monopolized the tobacco trade in the 1880s, the Constantinople-based tobacco company Muratti was re-established in London. Appearing in the satirical newspaper Punch, these advertisements of smoking-related scenes (or “Cigarette Situations”) of soldiers and the home front range from sly (Cigarette Situations No. 1) to solemn (Cigarette Situations No. 6).
“Cigarette Situations—No. 1”
Muratti Ariston cigarettes advertisement
Punch
1916
“Cigarette Situations—No. 2”
Muratti Ariston cigarettes advertisement
Punch, page vi
October 3, 1917
“Cigarette Situations—No. 6”
Muratti Ariston cigarettes advertisement
Punch
1918
Murad
“All for One”
S. Anargyros / Lorillard
Greensboro, North Carolina
“Fags”
Murad cigarettes advertisement
Poem by Corporal Jackson Turner
Circa 1917
“All For One, One For All”
Murad cigarettes advertisement
1918
“Munitions of Peace”
Murad cigarettes advertisement
Circa 1918
“The Turkish Cigarette” [1 of 2]
Murad cigarettes advertisement
Circa 1918
“The Turkish Cigarette” [2 of 2]
Murad cigarettes advertisement
Metropolitan, inside front cover
March 1919
Helmar
“Closely Guarded”
S. Anargyros / Lorillard
Greensboro, North Carolina
“The Quality of Helmar is closely guarded.”
Helmar cigarettes advertisement
Circa 1918
Fatima
“Here and Over Seas”
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
Durham, North Carolina
“…and with Navy Officers, it’s a little over 80%”
Fatima cigarettes advertisement
Scientific American, page 341
October 26, 1918
“…and in the U. S. Army, here and overseas” [1 of 2]
Fatima cigarettes advertisement
Scientific American, page 257
September 28, 1918
“…and in the U. S. Army, here and overseas” [2 of 2]
Front side of postcard featuring a Fatima advertisement.
Written by Harry A. Bertani of the 7th Division to Miss Bertha Seifert, requesting that she write to him
June 24, 1919
“I take great pleasure in writing you these few lines…”
Rear of postcard featuring a Fatima advertisement
Written by Harry A. Bertani of the 7th Division to Miss Bertha Seifert, requesting that she write to him
June 24, 1919
A Generational Shift
“When your son starts smoking…”
Prior to World War I smoking was seen as a rite of passage when a father welcomed his son to manhood and shared his own cigar or pipe with him. This advertisement for Girard depicts this ritual, complete with “the family’s consent” and “the company of his ‘dad.’”
The war would change this dynamic and cause a generational rift in smoking habits. Pipes and cigars became touchstones of the pre-war generation while the cigarette would be the post-war generation’s choice. The war deprived many young men of the paternal bonding experience of a first smoke, replaced by the cold comfort of a cigarette ration and the company of comrades in arms.
These tobacco advertisements aim at the parents of the doughboys in Europe, suggesting cigars and pipe tobacco as gifts or rewards for their battle-hardened boys who became men in the trenches.
Girard
“The right smoke for your son and yourself”
Antonio Roig & Langsdorf
Philadelphia, PA
White Owl
“Backing up these boys”
General Cigar Co.
New York City, NY
Velvet Joe
“Come smoke a good luck pipe with me”
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
Durham, North Carolina
Velvet Joe
“From the boy who’s ‘over thar'”
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
Durham, North Carolina
“When your son starts smoking”
Girard cigar advertisement
The Saturday Evening Post, page 85
1910
“Send these dependables dependable cigars”
Owl and White Owl cigar advertisement
The Staurday Evening Post, page 100
March 16, 1918
“A Daddy He Can Brag About”
Velvet Joe pipe tobacco advertisement
The Saturday Evening Post, page 104
March 16, 1918
“A Letter From The Boy”
Velvet Joe pipe tobacco advertisement
The Saturday Evening Post, page 96
January 11, 1919