Tophat Cigarettes Advertising Poster
Our Tophat Cigarettes Advertising Poster has an unusual
and fascinating history. In 1945 and 1946 the American forces
set up a series of camps to bring their troops home after the
end of World War II. The camps, most of which were located in
France, were named after a brand of American cigarette, a desirable
and valuable commodity (Camp Lucky Stripe, Camp Pall Mall, Camp
Chesterfield, etc.). Tophat, a virtual city comprised of thousands
of black 20-man tents was set up on the outskirts of Antwerp,
Belgium in close proximity to its world-class harbor. Unlike the
French "cigarette camps" it was named for the unit that
built it, which had a tophat as their unit symbol. However, a
Belgian cigarette company manufactured Tophat Cigarettes so it
became unintentionally a "cigarette camp" after all.
The linen backed lithograph poster by an anonymous American artist
measures approximately 13" x 22" It is in fine condition.
(Stock number 003Tophat) $375.00
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