Newspaper Ads
Old Mill Cigarettes

In 1909 and 1910 the American Tobacco Company routinely advertised that packages of their Old Mill cigarettes contained pictures of baseball players.  Sometimes the ads stated that pictures of Texas League players were included and sometimes simply that "baseball pictures" were included.  The ads often show what might be termed genteel scenes of the South, featuring well-to-do young men and women at leisure.  In all, I've located 26 different advertisements promoting the Old Mill brand through the inclusion of baseball cards. 

Typically, the ads were run on a weekly or twice-weekly basis, meaning that the ad campaign extended over the course of several months.  The campaigns seem to have been limited to various newspapers in the South, ranging from Texas to Washington, DC, which is also thought to be Old Mill's regional market. 

While not always the case, the Old Mill ads were generally run in the same sequence.  There's really no reason for this since the ads lack any overarching narrative.  Perhaps they were merely run in the order in which they were first created.  The exact text in the ads did vary slightly from newspaper to newspaper, but the artwork always remained unchanged.  Based on their repeated use, the ads can fairly easily be checklisted, which is what I've attempted to do here. 

Below is the full run of 26 advertisements in the order that they most often appeared.  These scans were taken from The Times Dispatch of Richmond, VA.  There, the series ran on Wednesdays and Saturdays from March 2 to May 28, 1910.

 
#   Description
1.   A man on horseback, with a servant offering him cigarettes.
2.   A gentleman sitting, with a boy playing a banjo.
3.   A man, sitting on a trellis.
4.   A couple, in a grove of orange trees.
5.   A man seated in a car, with a steamboat in the background.
6.   A man tipping his hat to a woman on a balcony.
7.   A woman on horseback, talking to a man who's dismounted.
8.   Two men with rifles resting on their shoulders.
9.   A man fishing from a small boat.
10.   A couple before a car, with two men saluting an auto race in the background.
11.   Two men on horseback, sharing a pack of Old Mills.
12.   A couple at a punchbowl, with a servant.
13.   Two men with backs turned, at a polo match.
14.   A man on horseback, talking to cotton pickers.
15.   A woman reclining in a hammock, talking to two men and a servant.
16.   A group at a dance, with musicians in the background.
17.   A man in a garden, standing next to a sundial.
18.   A couple in a carriage, with the seashore in the background.
19.   Two men with rifles, one aiming, one reloading.
20.   Three men beside a campfire.
21.   A man and woman, holding tennis rackets.
22.   A woman at the wheel, with a man and sailor, boating.
23.   A couple, talking to cotton pickers.
24.   Two men canoeing.
25.   A man resting in a hammock, reading.
26.   Two men and a woman, holding ears of corn.
 
 
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#1 #2 #3
A man on horseback, with a servant offering him cigarettes A gentleman sitting, with a boy playing a banjo A man, sitting on a trellis
     
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#4 #5 #6
A couple, in a grove of orange trees A man seated in a car, with a steamboat in the background A man tipping his hat to a woman on a balcony
     
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#7 #8 #9
A woman on horseback, talking to a man who's dismounted Two men with rifles resting on their shoulders A man fishing from a small boat
     
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#10 #11 #12
A couple before a car, with two men saluting an auto race in the background Two men on horseback, sharing a pack of Old Mills A couple at a punchbowl, with a servant
     
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#13 #14 #15
Two men with backs turned, at a polo match A man on horseback, talking to cotton pickers A woman reclining in a hammock, talking to two men and a servant
     
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#16 #17 #18
A group at a dance, with musicians in the background A man in a garden, standing next to a sundial A couple in a carriage, with the seashore in the background
     
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#19 #20 #21
Two men with rifles, one aiming, one reloading Three men beside a campfire A man and woman, holding tennis rackets
     
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#22 #23 #24
A woman at the wheel, with a man and sailor, boating A couple, talking to cotton pickers Two men canoeing
     
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#25 #26
A man resting in a hammock, reading Two men and a woman, holding ears of corn