As the reality of 20th century warfare engulfed civilian life, advertisers had to decide how best to deal with it. Most bit the bullet weaving wartime reality into their advertisements, but some chose to sidestep it.
The Glasgow firm of J & F Bell introduced their Three Nuns tobacco at the turn of the century with a vigorous advertising campaign. While the firm went into voluntary liquidation in 1904, the brand flourished under its new owners Stephen Mitchell & Sons. From 1902 their advertisements developed a comfortable post Restoration (1660) style under the skilled pen of James Thorpe. The association allowed Thorpe to give up his teaching post and become a full-time illustrator and lasted into the 1920s.
Although Thorpe’s characteristic signature is not visible on this advertisement, the scene is very much set in Thorpe world, historically accurate and offering an escape from contemporary life. While the Pall Mall Gazette mourned “and the British working man has almost abandoned his clay pipe and shag in favour of the two-penny packet of cigarettes” (02.11.1900), there were still many who preferred the slower, more skilled art of pipe smoking. The text acknowledges the reality of war, but the reassuring image of two 17th century friends, companionably enjoying a pipe draws the viewer in. Even the centre stage gun is reassuringly antique.
Thorpe volunteered in May 1915, declaring 27 of his 39 years. He served in various administrative support roles until discharged in 1919, even initially finding spare time for some commercial work. His carefully crafted brand imagery was replaced by a comfortable local vicar from the mid-1930s.
Notes : Thorpe’s engaging autobiography Happy Days – Recollections of an unrepentant Victorian (Gerald Howe Ltd, 1933) is well worth seeking out, offering an interesting view of his First World War experience.