Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "People's Drug Store, 7th and K Streets." Expert advice given on pipes, cigars, flashlights and cameras. View full size.
Interesting picture. What a feast for the imagination. Great find.
There must have been something about Fatimas that appealed to the hard-boiled fictional detective demographic. Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op was constantly lighting them up.
The best thing about tobacco probducts has always been the packaging. So eye pleasing.
Cameras, pipes and safety razors in the same case? What was the marketing ploy here? Somebody was asleep at the switch.
The dual "dial-less" pay phones on either side of the tall display case. And the cigarette butts ground-out on the floor. Charming.
When "Dragnet" was first aired on the radio it was sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes..the name was pronounced "fa-TEE-ma " by the radio announcer.
The pipes do appear to be Petersons , but their design was often immitated
That's a display of Eveready Daylo flashlights on the counter.
In the upper left are a pile of Eveready Tungsten Batteries and Daylo lights. "Tungsten" batteries were introduced in 1911 and contained no tungsten. The name was a marketing ploy to associate the batteries with the new improved tungsten filament bulbs.
While Murad, Fatima and other exotic Cigarettes had their own cubicle at Peoples, the Luckies, Camels and Chesterfields were probably sold elsewhere in the shop. Meanwhile, His Royal Highness is still in the slammer.
A close look at the signage at the top of the booth indicates that these are hand-painted signs (with illustrations and cigarette packs glued on to complete the job). I'll bet when you got one of those new cameras home, it smelled like pipe tobacco!
Yes I DO have Prince Albert in a can!
our special offer for Original Genuine Gillette Razors!
We sell everything a man might wish, eventually even under the counter? (in 2012 in the U.K. even the cigarettes have to be sold under the counter)
This image is complex and detailed yet the one thing that stands out most for me is the shaving brush is being used on the bulldog. I cannot imagine any reason the company would use this imagery in their store advertisements yet the brush seems to be poised to lather the dog. This then brings up a mental image of a dog foaming at the mouth.
I also like the unusual pipe stand on the counter which holds its wares in a unique manner by the mouthpiece. It makes the pipe easier to grab by the bowl but it seems to be artistic, delicate, and quite unstable as a wrong grab would dislodge other pipes.
Those are some large flashlights in the glass EVEREADY case on the counter. Much, much larger than the Streamlight LED Scorpion in my trouser pocket, or the LED Stinger on my duty belt, with just a fraction of the run time on thier carbon cell batteries. Think what another 90 years will bring! Led flashlights with 7 day run times, and the light output of an aircraft landing lamp, the size of a tube of Chapstick!
A very nice selection on the pipe tree on top of the front corner of the counter. They are still made today.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5