I'd number this among the least successful ad campaigns in cigarette history. I suppose it adequately informs the consumer that Chesterfields are gentle enough for Granny’s aged lungs and won’t stop her heart right away, but no one’s ever captured the red-hot up-and-coming money crowd by telling them old shawl-bedecked ladies like ‘em, too.

Or is there something else going on here? We’re only a decade away from the time when women smoking in public was a shocker for some. Maybe 30s eyes read it differently: there’s still something naughty about smoking, and smart old ladies who probably fought for the vote, and whose mild demeanor masks a clever and discerning mind, love a good Chesterfield.

Or she’s taking up the habit in her later years. What the hell. Why not. This Depression looks like it’s going to last forever.