Another strange mishmash of an advertisement with a realistic rendition of an ad-man’s preposterous concept from June 1900.
In terms of traditional warfare, the Boer War was won but lingered on with the Boers successfully employing guerilla tactics against British forces. The latter’s heavy booted retaliation alienated many and it was difficult to put a heroic twist on events, however the fact the conflict dragged on could not be ignored. Covering a strategic retreat to more domestic based advertising scenarios, Ogden’s marketeers looked to the Royal Navy and British ironclads to save military face.
Presumably the introduction of a child spoke to safeguarding the future rather than lowering the age of recruitment. Unfortunately, to modern eyes the petticoated boy draped along the cigarette barrel of the cruiser while casually igniting it is incongruous to say the least and rather too active an involvement. It was still customary for well off sons to remain skirted while in the nursery, but even the most liberal of nannies drew the line at playing with matches. Ogden’s went on to run a short-themed series of adverts featuring ‘humorous’ domestic scenes revolving around children, cigarettes and incompetent parents published between January 1901 and June 1902, but it is almost impossible to regard this image as anything other than peculiarly ill-judged. Perhaps the young master should return to the effervescent world of Pears’ Soap and leave the big guns and Guinea Golds to his elders?
See also
Maven Musings – Ogden’s “Guinea-Gold” Cigarettes Boer War advertising campaign 1899 – 1901