Janoschka magazine_Linked_V2_2017

14 i n s i g h t s
A short history of the cigarette
After their modest beginnings in the late 18th century,
cigarettes enjoyed ever greater popularity very quickly –
worldwide. In the Crimean War, in the 1850s, influenced
by their Turkish allies, the English and French took up
smoking tobacco. The Spanish also did their part: for the
first time, tobacco was not rolled in leaves, but in paper.
Soon, smoking was widespread. Doctors even went as far
as recommending smoking as a therapy for improving
eyesight or calming nerves.
In the 20th century, a change was seen in the way tobacco was consumed
in society: modern life became visibly faster. This meant that the cigar –
which, up till then, had been the first choice of most smokers – could not
keep pace. The cigarette became the symbol of an accelerated consumption
and the new trend. Cigarette smokers were considered urbane, chic
and somewhat reckless.
Smoking cigarettes became a badge of freedom. Women, who were
demanding their rights, demonstrated this most clearly, by taking the
liberty to smoke, for a start. Freedom tasted like Lucky Strike and smelt
of the Gitanes and Gauloises from Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
In the 70s and 80s of the last century, nearly everyone smoked – anytime
and anywhere: television detectives, elegant spies, demonstrating
students, even cartoon characters. To take advantage of the growing
market, new brands were always emerging around the world – each one
with a packet design, just as distinctive as attractive.