A Cigarette Century Introduction: 1800-1940

Tobacco in the 1800’s In the 1800’s chewing tobacco was coined the American Habit. Spittoons were installed in the senate chamber.

Cigarette use increased at the turn of the 20th century. Improvements in transportation, manufacturing volume, and packaging allowed tobacco companies to expand their market and brand nationwide.

Tobacco Advertising in the 19th Century 2. In the late 1870s with the invention of color lithography, brands strengthen their identities; companies included small cigarette cards in every box as premiums. These collectible trading cards depicted movie stars, famous athletes and even Native American chiefs. Before televison advertisement

3. The Bonsack Rolling machine automated the manufacturing of cigarettes, ushering the industrial mass production of cigarettes. The mass production of cigarettes led to increased consumption as well as the introduction of chemicals and additives to homogenized the tobacco and flavor. Albert Bonsack r Before the Bonsack rolling machine, cigarette were hand rolled at the rate of 200 cigarettes/day The Bonsack Rolling Machine created cigarettes at a rate of 100,000/day.

In 1884 James “Buck” Duke the owner of W. Duke Sons & Co In 1884 James “Buck” Duke the owner of W. Duke Sons & Co. purchased two Bonsack rolling cigarette Machines and in 1887 made exclusive contracts with Bonsack.

In 1880 These tobacco companies were named “The BIG FOUR” Goodwin&Company Old Judge Welcome W.S Kimball Kinney Bros Sweet Caporals Richmond Straight Pet Cigarettes Three kings Vanity Fair On April 23, 1889 the five leading cigarette companies merged together creating The American Tobacco Company Trust with James Buchanan Duke as the President. Not sure W. Duke Sons & Company

In the final decade of the 19th century The American Tobacco Company purchased Not sure 1899 By 1909, The American Tobacco trust controlled 86% of the national cigarette business, 85% of plug, 76% of smoking tobacco, 97% of snuff and 14% of cigar manufacture. 

Tobacco, along with railroads and the oil industry, were the three great monopolies in the beginning of the 19th century. In 1911 the US Supreme Court decides that the American Tobacco Co. is a monopoly and in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890). The major companies to emerge are: American Tobacco Co R.J. Reynolds Liggett & Myers Tobacco Lorillard British-American Tobacco

When American Tobacco Company dissolved into smaller companies, the opportunity opened for competitive brands, and blends and the advertising needs increased. Celebrities and sports stars endorsed cigarettes. Even physicians and nurses were depicted in cigarette advertisements, which appeared in medical journals and included many health claims.

In the following years each company introduced new brands and blends. 1912 Liggett & Myers introduces "Chesterfield" Camel introduced in 1913 Lorillard introduced the first blended cigarette, Old Gold Label, in 1926 ATC Launched Lucky Strike cigarettes in 1916 Raleigh introduced in 1926

Chesterfields 1912 They do satisfy

1913 In 1913 RJ. Reynolds Tobacco Company introduce Camels, the first pre blended packaged cigarette. The slogan “THE CAMELS ARE COMING” was placed in national newspapers spurring curiosity for the new cigarette brand, which entered the marketplace in the following weeks. RJ REYNOLDS HAS A TIMELINE THAT GOES PERFECT WITH OUT HISTORICAL TIMELINE. Add campaigns all together forcing individual to put themselves into a category.

Lucky Strike cigarettes entered the market in 1916

World War I (1914-1918) The first world war propelled a revolution in smoking habits, introducing a generation of men to the new convenience habit. Soldiers received a weekly ration of 50 cigarettes known as fags. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers return from war as regular smokers, addicted to cigarettes.

Three Major Brands in 1918

Philip Morris was not apart of American Tobacco Company Trust In 1919 George Whelan Tobacco Products purchase tiny US Philip Morris Company, which includes PM's brands: Cambridge, Oxford Blues, English Ovals, Players. The new Philip Morris & Company, Ltd. Inc, is incorporated in Richmond, VA.

1926 Old Gold by Brown & Williamson

The cigarette habit took longer to take hold in the States than overseas. The US solders returned from the war finding a period of prohibition. Many towns considered smoking an arrest able offence on moral grounds rather than medical. In 1929 Lucky Strike from American Tobacco Company appealed women by suggesting they “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet.”

Women Liberation However in the early 20th century smoking was not considered ladylike and women never smoked in public. George Hill of American Tobacco Company realized the potential of the new untapped demographic. In 1929 he asked a New York public relation executive, Edward Bernays , to help recruit women smokers. Bernays decided to capitalize on the newly emancipated women and called Lucky Strike cigarettes “torches of freedom.” Bernays called up a few of his debutante friends and asked them to walk in the New York City Easter Parade, lighting “torches of freedom” “to protest mans inhumanity to women by a taboo against smoking.” VIDEO TOBACCO WAR EXCEP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iplzsMazQz4 13:00

Amelia Earnhardt ‘s liberated likeness was used to advertise for Lucky strike

In the 1930 people visited the movies regularly; the theaters were crucial places for tobacco advertisements. Philip Morris utilized Johnny Roventini and the slogan “call for Phillip Morris” to introduce the movies. But more importantly movie stars were highly influential as smoking role model. America Tobacco Company sent free cartons of Lucky Strikes to entice stars like Clark Gabel to smoke and show the Lucky Strike package on the big screen, as in the 1934 movie Chained.

Cigarette advertising increased on the radio during the 1930’s with more than half the American home owning a radio. American Tobacco Company sponsored Your Hit Parade. Lorillard’s Old Gold cigarettes sponsored Artie Shaw’s band broadcasting twice weekly. In 1940 the tobacco Industry continues to utilize radio media by broadcasting "Raleigh Cigarette Program" or Red Skelton's show which aired with this name for a period of time. Lucky Strike became the official tobacco partner of the Jack Benny Show in 1942

1937 American Tobacco Co. struck deals with a handful of U.S. senators to endorse Lucky Strike Cigarettes. In a testimonial add depicted here Dakota Sen. Gerald P. Nye praised the "comfort and safety a light smoke gives my throat." The senators each received $1,000 by the tobacco companies.