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Wednesday 12 September 2018

The beautiful veil

Conrad Veidt

He lit a cigarette and, gracefully leaning his elbows on the table, gazed at her through the beautiful grey smoke-veil, which was like the clouds of Paradise.

Arnold Bennett - The Price of Love (1914)

Although smoking can be cool, it is not as easy to carry it off as it was in Bennett's day. Now the veil is different, woven from decades of disapproval. Not something to be regretted perhaps, but an interesting example of how perceptions not only change, but are changed for us. As the original perception was woven by big tobacco.

6 comments:

Sam Vega said...

Smoking certainly was different in the past. Conrad in your picture seems to have smoked using his ear. Strange.

A K Haart said...

Sam - that was a particularly cool thing to do because he could sip his martini at the same time.

Graeme said...

Did Big Tobacco exist in 1914? I think there was a general ignorance of the dangers of nicotine. How many people did not smoke pipes, cigars or girly cigarettes back then?

Capstan ads

When did it stop to be manly to smoke?
Last month, at a school reunion, I learnt that the blokes who did English A level used to spend Monday afternoons in the teacher's front room smoking while discussing DH Lawrence

I got my A levels the hard way. Without smoking.

How would that teacher be handled today?

Who really needs to live into their 80s

Demetrius said...

When I were a lad I was urged to smoke by many of my extended family for the sake of my health, being told it helped to clear the lungs of nasty things. My reluctance was based on cost and in the Army one could add a lot of cash to the pittance of pay by selling one's cigarette coupons. I had an opinion that doughnuts were much better for my health and also cash in hand meant I could go to football matches or cinema when I wanted to.

A K Haart said...

Graeme - "Who really needs to live into their 80s" that one I keep thinking about. My father smoked a pipe for decades but gave it up after lots of pressure from my mother. However he ended up with dementia and I sometimes wonder if he may as well have carried on smoking.

Demetrius - ah doughnuts - so that's the secret. Sounds good to me washed down with a cup of coffee.

Anonymous said...

Sam Vegas.
Bob Newhart.
Don't tell me Walt. You stick it in your ear, right?
Great stuff.
Doonhamer.