Colorful cigarette packs

From 1850 the cigarette conquered the European market. Although most tobacco comes from the Balkans and producers from Turkey, the Egyptian cigarette has been marketed for half a century. With corresponding design in Egyptian atmosphere and even names in phonetic Arabic or even in Arabic script.

Cigarette factories also started in the Netherlands around 1900, but they too followed the Egyptian trend for years to come. Such as Brooches, Ed Laurens and Turmac who even gives it an Art Deco twist, recognizable from a distance. From 1930 the much lighter Virginia cigarette becomes popular, for which a completely new design is introduced. The iconic Miss Blanche, an almost Marilyn Monroe-esque appearance, is the pinnacle of the new, fashionable way of smoking. New names soon will follow such as American cocktail, Clipper, Everest and Apollo.

When after the war women really became a large target group, specific brands such as Belinda become popular. Again a symbol of the modern woman, but now with short cropped bleached hair. From the 1970s and 1980s, smaller brands emerged with purely graphic designs in which only the name stands out and a fixed color pattern for recognisability.

We leave out the health warning packets at the end of the twentieth century, as well as the unpleasant but also ludicrous depictions of medical complications to deter chain smokers.