JF Ptak Science Books Post 1293
Mmmmm...Can't you just taste the goodness, the frivolity, the downright holiness of these seasonal ads? What an odd set of emotions these images are able to surface on quick-boil. Who knew (in this first image) that this LIFE magazine ad from 1954 would reveal the true value of electronics--managing cancer sticks? (These same folks are today working on quantum computing multi-universe porn--stay tuned.) The model still has pearly-white teeth while smoking and drinking coffee, radiant in her half-a-halo of cigarettes. The lit cigarette between her fingers is at first almost invisible (or at least it was to me), seeming to be just another of those rolling off the AccRay Electro-conveyor belt, an endless supply for her pleasure. (The "electronic" part of this ad are also Lilliputian; its a nonsensical drawing with no scale, unless the cig company wanted to get across to its potential smoking community how "big" their cigarettes are.)
And could poor old Santa get any lower than this? Out of all the things he has carried in his sack over the years, Chesterfield Cigarettes may very well be the worst of them. Plus, not only is Santa delivery them as presents, he's decorating the tree with them as well, and hardly acting the camera-shy sort that he is. Chesterfield (Leggett & Morris Tobacco Co.) combined some of the best loved elements of childhood (the ABC's "Always Buy Chesterfield") and Santa Claus to not only convince adults to think of the product as a Gift(ing) Unit, but also to lull children into a sleepy, memory-clouding impression of Chesterfields being somehow good (what with these two primary associations and all). "Chesterfields have all the benefit of Smoking Pleasure (capitalized in the original) "they're givable, acceptable and enjoyable¦" I wonder what they, meant, exactly, by using the word "acceptable"?
I've seen Santa in other embarrassing poses like this in the pages of LIFE magazine for this period: flying through the air in his sleigh loaded down with boxes of cigarettes, placing boxes of them under the tree, stuffing stockings with cartons, and the like. I'm sure that he regrets it now, though.
All sorts of people were pressed into the service of selling tobacco products like thisâsports figures, movie stars, doctors, adventurers; an entire alphabet of personalities and personality types got into the act. A sitting president had never been involved, though a person who would become president was. 
Iâm sure Ronald Reagan regretted this ad at some point in his life as well ("beautiful Christmas Car Carton" or not), though I suspect that he wouldâve kept that close to the vest.
This is a simple ad for a butane-based lighter (appearing in LIFE magazine for 18 December 1950), lighting the way down Cigarette Road. Actually, it was more a highway than a road, and a superhighway at that. Government-sponsored warnings about tobacco health issues was still more than a decade away: medical doctors were part of the advertising machine, as were actors (including RWR), sports figures, and virtually anyone else with a mouth.
This is a simple ad for a butane-based lighter (appearing in LIFE magazine for 18 December 1950), lighting the way down Cigarette Road. Actually, it was more a highway than a road, and a superhighway at that. Government-sponsored warnings about tobacco health issues was still more than a decade away.
It seems to me that there are about 300 cigarettes in this ad, and that looks like a lot—point of fact though is that in 1950, the average American (of 18+ years) smoked about 3,522 cigarettes a year, which means about 10 cigarettes a day for everyone in the country. Not 10 per smoker; 10 for everyone in the entire country, smoker or not, who was over 18 years of age.
The average smoker in 1950 smoked about 2.5 packs a day, or 50 cigarettes or so—that’s equal to this line of cigarettes being smoked every six days.
There were virtually no brakes.
Even Santa (a pipe smoker) got into the business. This was a standard, acceptable, vanilla-packaged advertisement.
United States Cigarette Consumption, , 1900–2007
First number is total consumption in billions; second number is per capita yearly consumption for people 18+.
1915 17.9 285
1920 44.6 665
1925 79.8 1,085
1930 119.3 1,485
1935 134.4 1,564
1940 181.9 1,976
1945 340.6 3,449
1950 369.8 3,522
1955 396.4 3,597
1960 484.4 4,171
1965 528.8 4,259
1970 536.5 3,985
1975 607.2 4,123
1980 631.5 3,851
1985 594.0 3,461
1990 525.0 2,827
1995 487.0 2,515
2000 430.0 2,092
2005 376.0 1,716
2007 360.0
Source: Tobacco Outlook Report, Economic Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
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"she isn't actually shown smoking--she does have half-a-halo of cigarettes"
Actually, one of the cigarettes is in her hand and lit, which makes the floating (falling?) cigarettes even creepier.
Posted by: Mentallill | 19 December 2010 at 07:21 AM
thanks for pointing that out! The cig in her hand was invisible to me somehow. I changed the description--and you're right, it *is* creepier.
Posted by: John F. Ptak | 20 December 2010 at 09:37 AM