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.

1. 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.

rBefore 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.

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

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”

On April 23, 1889 the five leading cigarette companies merged together creating The American Tobacco Company Trust with James Buchanan Duke as the President.

W. Duke Sons & Company

W.S Kimball Kinney Bros

Sweet Caporals

Goodwin&Company

Old JudgeWelcome

Richmond StraightPet CigarettesThree kings

Vanity Fair

In the final decade of the 19th century

The American Tobacco Company purchased

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.

1899

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. ReynoldsLiggett & Myers TobaccoLorillard 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.

Lorillard introduced the first blended cigarette, Old Gold Label, in 1926

ATC Launched Lucky Strike cigarettes in 1916

1912 Liggett & Myers introduces "Chesterfield"

Camel introduced in 1913

Raleigh introduced in 1926

Chesterfields 1912They 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.

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 LiberationHowever 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 EXCEPhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iplzsMazQz413:00

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.

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

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.

1937American 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.