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The first cigarette advert ever produced was for Admiral Cigarettes in 1897. Four pretty terrible actors do their best to convince us to smoke Admiral Cigarettes. They look like an early version of the Village People.
A weirdo jumps out of the box and showers them in cigarettes. A golden virginia tobacco shower, you could say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcvZ6jiUZsg
These short films were shown before the feature film in cinemas, much as they are today.
Thomas Edison, who produced the film, would later become an avid anti-smoking campaigner. He reportedly would not hire anyone who smoked cigarettes. Cigars were ok for some reason, but not cigarettes. Why? Perhaps he spent too long in that room with all the chemicals for processing the film.
