The P. Lorillard Tobacco Company produced an amazing advertising piece with this self-framed tin sign advertising their London Life brand of cigarettes. The sign is unusual in that the design portrays smoking as something associated with the life of luxury. In this scene, it appears the man has just gotten done playing a round of cricket or perhaps came off of the polo field given his attire. The bottom of the sign has their style of cigarettes denoted, as plain end or cork tip.
The P. Lorillard Tobacco Company was one of the largest tobacco manufacturers and distributors in the country at the turn of the 1900 era. Only the Liggett-Myers Company rivaled them in overall sales at that time. This sign, while very large in size, apparently was well distributed by the company as it can be found quite readily in today’s marketplace given its age.