Before the internet, people got their life tips from some unexpected places — including cigarette boxes. Over a century ago, UK tobacco company Gallaher printed small illustrated “how to do it” cards and tucked them inside their cigarette packs. Each card showed a practical tip, drawn out step by step, covering everything from kitchen tricks to home safety. They were simple, visual, and genuinely useful.
Cigarette cards were a common marketing tool in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Companies used them to advertise products, feature celebrities, and share news. Gallaher took a different approach. Instead of promotions, they filled their cards with everyday advice that working-class households could actually use. The tips ranged from how to boil potatoes properly to how to build a homemade fire extinguisher.
The New York Public Library has since digitized the full set of these cards. They are now part of the NYPL’s George Arents Collection, one of the largest tobacco-related archives in the world. Anyone can browse them online, and many of the tips hold up remarkably well more than 100 years later.
What makes these cards stand out is how practical they are. There’s no filler. Each card addresses one specific problem and gives a clear, direct solution. That no-nonsense format is exactly what made them popular with everyday people at the time.
The tips cover a wide range of topics. Some deal with food and cooking. Others tackle first aid, home repairs, and outdoor skills. A few are surprisingly clever — the kind of solutions you’d share with a friend today as a “life hack,” not knowing people were already doing it in 1900.
Gallaher was founded in the United Kingdom and grew into one of the most recognized tobacco brands in the world. Their cigarette cards became collectible over time, and the life hack series is among the most well-known. People saved them, traded them, and passed them down.
Scroll through the full collection below. These are all digitized cards from the NYPL’s George Arents Collection, printed by Gallaher more than a century ago.
