Cartoonists Take Up Smoking Logo Square
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The Industry

  • When research on this exhibition began in the 1990s, there were seven major tobacco companies in the United States: Philip Morris (maker of Marlboro and Virginia Slims), RJ Reynolds(Winston, Camel), Brown & Williamson (KOOL), P. Lorillard (Newport), American Brands (Carlton, Lucky Strike), Liggett (L & M), and United States Tobacco Company (SKOAL and Copenhagen snuff), which I referred to as “Cancer’s Seven Warning Signs.” By the end of the century, all of the companies had removed “tobacco” from their name. Philip Morris also had a make-over, becoming the more altruistically sounding Altria in 2004. The company acquired snuff-maker UST (formerly United States Tobacco Company) in 2008 and spun off Philip Morris International that same year. It has been suggested that an investment in Philip Morris shares in 1957 would have yielded the highest rate of return of any company on the New York Stock Exchange over the next fifty years. In the 1980s and 1990s, the profit on the Philip Morris’ Marlboro cigarette brand alone exceeded that of the combined profits of the company’s 3000 Kraft General Foods products. Following extensive  acquisitions and consolidation, the only major remaining American tobacco companies are Altria and Philip Morris International. The others–RJ Reynolds, American Brands, Brown & Williamson, and P. Lorillard–have all been taken over and merged into British American Tobacco, based in the United Kingdom. AB
n.d. PM Corporate Ad Making Our Hometown a Home

“Making our hometown a home…”

Philip Morris corporate advertisement
1980s

n.d. Sick Washington Bedfellows Lobbyists Represent Health Clients Tobacco Industry

“Sick Washington Bedfellows: Lobbyists Represent Health Clients and Tobacco Industry” (2 pages)

Doctors Ought to Care (DOC) press release
Circa 1992

1981 01 22 US Tobacco Journal Cigar Industry Planning PR Effort

“Cigar industry planning institutional p.r. effort to reverse sales trend” (2 pages)

News article
United States Tobacco Journal
January 22, 1981

1964 01 12 NY Times Industry Still Prospering focus

“Industry Is Still Prospering”

News article by Alexander R. Hammer
The New York Times
January 12, 1964

1939 NY Worlds Fair Brochure The Tobacco Industry front cover

“Tomorrow’s Work – The Tobacco Industry”

Brochure
National Youth Administration
New York World’s Fair
1939

1983 06 22 US Tobacco Journal A Responsible Tobacco Industry Prevails

“A responsible tobacco industry prevails”

Excerpt of an address made by Joseph Cullman, III, executive committee chairman of Philip Morris, at the annual meeting of the Tobacco Merchants Association of the U.S.
United States Tobacco Journal
June 22, 1983

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n.d. Babin Times Union Big Tobacco

“[Capitol Ashtray]”

Rex Babin
The Times Union (Albany, New York)
Circa 1997

1994 Ed Stein Rocky Mountain News This is the no conscience section

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Wilson. This is the no conscience section.”

Ed Stein
The Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado)
1994

1979 Morin Miami Herald GASP

“[Tobacco Industry vs. Miami G.A.S.P. (Group Against Smoking Pollution)]”

Jim Morin
The Miami Herald
1979

1992 Kirk Deniability

“DENIABILITY”

Kirk Walters
The Toledo Blade
1992

1988 Marlette Atlanta Constituion Thank you for not breathing

“THANK YOU FOR NOT BREATHING”

Doug Marlette (1949-2007)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1988

[Marlette was the editorial cartoonist for The Charlotte Observer (1972–1987), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1987–89),  Newsday (1989–02), The Tallahassee Democrat (2002–06) and The Tulsa World (2006–07).]

1997 09 21 David Simpson Tulsa World Naw were not worried

“THANK YOU FOR NOT SUING”

David Simpson
The Tulsa World
September 21, 1997

1988 05 18 Jimmy Margulies The Houston Post I hate to admit it copy

“I hate to admit it, but the Surgeon General is right… Nicotine [profit] is highly addictive…”

Jimmy Margulies
The Houston Post
May 18, 1988

n.d. Mike Luckovich Atlanta Constitution Before we do

“Something’s got to be done about handguns. They’re killing too many people!…Before we do!”

Mike Luckovich
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1994

1998 Brusmic Brandon Jr. Florida Today Whos making an ash of himself

“Who’s making an ash of himself?”

Brumsic Brandon, Jr. (1927 – 2014) 
Florida Today
1998

(Brandon’s popular comic strip “Luther” was one of the first about an Africa-American character.)

1998 June 3 Prigee The Spokesman Review Cigarettes are not addictive

“Cigarettes are not addictive… Cigarettes do not cause lung cancer…We do not market to children…”

Milt Priggee
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington)
June 3, 1998

n.d. Englehardt St. Louis Post Dispatch Smokers dont grow too old you know

Tom Englehardt
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Circa 1980

n.d. Englehardt St. Louis Post Dispatch Hows your crop coming along

Tom Englehardt
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
1984