Life — June 7, 1929 — page 48: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a cigarette advertisement for Fatima brand, not political satire. The ad uses a visual pun: two uniformed men (likely sailors or military personnel, distinguished by their "stripes") flank a woman on a bench. The joke plays on "stripes" as both military rank insignia and the striped pattern on the woman's clothing. The ad argues that small price differences yield significant quality improvements—just as uniform stripes denote rank differences. Fatima cigarettes, though costing only "a few cents" more than competitors, supposedly offer superior tobacco quality. This was standard early 20th-century advertising rhetoric, making vague quality claims to justify premium pricing. The military figures likely suggest sophistication or authority endorsing the product.