Vintage Cigarette and Cigar Advertising Posters in the 1920s and ’30s

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Spurred by the instant coast to coast success of blended cigarette brands such as Camel, Lucky Strike and Chesterfield, cigarette companies spend millions on advertising and promotion to encourage smoking in 1920.

Cigarette and cigar advertisements in the 1920s and ’30s

In the 1920s, smoking was rare among women. However, passage of the 19th Amendment ushered in new freedoms and smoking in public became symbolic of women’s new role in society. American Tobacco taps into the women’s cigarette market with the marketing slogan “Reach for a Lucky instead of sweet.”

In the 1930s, almost every magazine and medical journal featured cigarette advertisement featuring opera singers, athletes, doctors, senators and movie stars. Every major radio show featured tobacco advertisements. Jack Benny would seamlessly weave the advertisement into his comedy hour.

Here below is a set of vintage posters of cigarette and cigar advertisements in the 1920s and 1930s.