Smoke and Glamour: The Allure of Women Smoking Cigarettes in the 1930s

The 1930s were marked by the Great Depression, a severe economic downturn that affected millions of people worldwide. Despite the hardships, the decade saw the emergence of a new kind of glamour and sophistication, thanks in part to the influence of Hollywood movies. Women in the 1930s looked up to silver screen icons like Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Bette Davis – all of whom were often seen smoking cigarettes, both on and off screen.

Unlike the flappers of the 1920s, women of the 1930s embraced a more refined and elegant style. Cigarette smoking was no longer a symbol of rebellion but had transformed into an emblem of sophistication, charm, and allure. The way women held their cigarettes and took a drag became an art form, a display of grace and poise that was admired and emulated by many.

Tobacco companies continued to target female consumers, creating ads that played on the themes of glamour and sophistication. The ads often featured elegant, well-dressed women enjoying a cigarette, suggesting that smoking was an essential part of a fashionable lifestyle. Even the packaging of cigarettes became more luxurious, with brands like Lucky Strike introducing sleek and stylish tins that appealed to women’s sense of style.

One of the most iconic symbols of women smoking in the 1930s was the elegant and elongated cigarette holder. These stylish accessories were not only practical – keeping the smoke and ash away from a woman’s face and clothing – but also added an air of sophistication and glamour. As a result, the cigarette holder became an indispensable accessory for fashionable women of the time.

The health risks associated with smoking were still not widely known or understood. Cigarettes were often marketed as being beneficial to one’s health, with some ads even claiming that smoking could soothe a sore throat or alleviate stress.

It’s a fascinating glimpse into a time when glamour, elegance, and sophistication were highly valued, and the way women presented themselves was an important part of their identity. Here are some fabulous photos of women with cigarettes from the 1930s.

#1 Brenda Dean Paul (1907–1959, centre) leaves court after facing drugs charges, July 1933. She is holding a tin of large Sub Rosa cigarettes.

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#2 Janet Allen, a professional dancing partner at Streatham Dance Hall, enjoying breakfast in bed. 1939

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#3 Two Nurses demonstrate their objection to a smoking ban. 1938

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#4 Nurses at the Salford Royal Hospital take advantage of the newly-opened smoking facilities, providing a smoke room for off duty staff, 1938

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#5 Two women in yachting caps. One is lighting her cigarette from the others, 9th May 1936

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#6 A lady is pictured lighting her cigarette now held in a novelty cigarette holder in the shape of a musical instrument, 1932

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#7 Two sailors from HMS Fury enjoy a smoke with two women in bathing suits on a beach in Jersey, where their ship is on a visit, 1935

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#8 Two racegoers obviously need a cigarette to calm their nerves, 25th March 1938

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#9 A young female British Navy officer sitting astride a minesweepers cannon and lighting a cigarette whilst two officers look on, 5th June 1937

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#10 75 year-old Mary Parish lights a cigarette for her 101 year-old mother, Mary Ann Parish, at their home in Walworth, London, 14th February 1946.

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#11 German actress Hildegard Knef (1925–2002) in Munich, 1951.

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#12 A woman smokes a cigarette while holding a cocktail glass in the other hand, 1930

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#13 A woman smoking two cigarettes simultaneously with an elegant cocktail cigaratte holder, 27th July 1931

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#14 Women in the smoking lounge of the Globe Theatre, New York, 1930

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#15 Two women lighting cigarettes on a tennis court in Essex, England 1930s.

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#16 American actress Louise Brooks poses in lederhosen and smokes a cigarette in this postcard image from Germany, 1920s or 1930s.

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#17 British author Naomi Jacob, 1964.

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#18 German-born American film star Marlene Dietrich dressed in men’s top hat and tails and smoking

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#19 A young woman has a tattoo of a horse and jockey on her breast, visible above an underslip, 1930.

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#20 Actress Tallulah Bankhead having a sultry smoke, 1968.

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#21 Marlene Dietrich making her Hollywood film debut as the tuxedo-clad Amy Jolly in the film ‘Morocco’, 1930

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#22 Russian actress Olga Baclanova holding a cigarette holder, 1930s

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#23 German Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich, 1930s

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#24 American screen legend Katharine Hepburn, 1930s

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#25 Thelma Todd, the perky American leading lady and heroine of many comedies, starred in Hal Roach comedies, died mid-career, 1935.

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#26 A fashion model sits and smokes a cigarette wearing a hat designed by French fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin, Paris, 1935.

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#27 Blonde beauty in her bathing suit on the beach smoking a cigarette, 1930.

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#28 Pipe smoking diva, brunette photomodel, seductive pose, 1930.

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#29 Brunette woman, rouged strongly, sits on a chair and smokes a cigarette, 1930.

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#30 Two girls in underwear in a dressing room, one offers the other a cigarette, France, 1930.

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#31 Smoking couple, 1930.

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#32 Young man bends over to a woman sitting on the sofa, lights his cigarette with the glow of hers, 1930.

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#33 Harem lady with cigarette, 1930.

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#34 Traditional dressed Moroccan woman smoking a cigarette, 1930.

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#35 Thelma Todd, black wig and all, as Nellie Bly in Her Man, directed by Tay Garnett.

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#36 Swiss Actress Dorothea Wieck.

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#37 Swedish Actress Greta Garbo drinking whiskey and smoking a cigarette in ‘Anna Christie’, 1930, United States.

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#38 American actress Tallulah Bankhead who starred in silent films and ‘Lifeboat’, 1968.

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#39 American film actress Carole Lombard casts a dramatic shadow against the wall, 1942.

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#40 Actress Evelyn Brent playing the lead role of Ruby Smith in the comedic crime film Traveling Husbands, 1931.

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#41 Martita Hunt, 1931

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#42 Sunbathing girl in her bathing suit in Hyde Park, London, smoking a cigarette and reading a book, 1932

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#43 A group of women light up their cigarettes while relaxing on a diving board at Cliftonville

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#44 The original Hollywood sex symbol, Mae West, 1933

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#45 Libby Holman smoking cigarette, 1930s

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#46 Dancer Iris Kirkwhite dressed as a soldier wearing a shako, 1933

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#47 Chili Bouchier, the British leading lady in a scene from the film ‘It’s A Cop’, 1934

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#48 Actress Marian Nixon as Andree in the 1934 motion picture By Your Leave

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#49 Actress Margaret Lindsay Smoking Cigarette

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#50 Actress Dorothy Dell

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#51 Paramount star Marlene Dietrich, 1935

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#52 Marlene Dietrich as the temptress Concha Perez in a scene from ‘The Devil is a Woman’, 1935

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#53 A woman about to light a cigarette after a bracing walk, 1935

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#54 A glamorous fashion model wearing a vestal gown and resting on a sumptuous recliner, 1935

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#55 Jean Harlow, the American ‘platinum blonde’ leading lady, 1937

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#56 German born American film actress Marlene Dietrich in the ‘Devil is a Woman’, 1935

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#57 Elizabeth Russell, the Hollywood film star in ‘Three Cheers For Love’, 1935

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#58 Molly Lamont accepts a light from Gene Gerrard in a scene from ‘Lucky Girl’, 1935

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#59 American actress Carole Lombard in a satin dressing gown, 1935

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#60 German born actress Marlene Dietrich smoking by her swimming pool in Beverly Hills, 1930s

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#61 A woman in a long, ruched, two-tone evening gown, 1935

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#62 A lady wearing a grey flannel suit with a stitched hat and black gloves about to light up a cigarette, 1935

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#63 A woman is lighting a cigarette with oversized matches at the 39th International Tabacco Exhibition, London, 1935

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#64 Marlene Dietrich in a white chiffon evening gown designed by Travis Banton, 1935

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#65 Actress Gail Patrick Holding Cigarette

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#66 The American writer Louise Bryant in Russian costume, 1936

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#67 American prima ballerina Eileen O’Connor in costume for ‘Follow The Sun’, 1936

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#68 English aviator Amy Mollison wearing a woollen suit designed by Madame Schiaparelli for her flight from London to Cape Town, 1936

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#69 American comic actress Martha Raye pictured with a Chimpanzee on the filming of “The Big Broadcast of 1937”, 1936

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#70 Film star Marlene Dietrich stars in the film ‘Angel’, 1937

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#71 Vaudeville star Gwen Farrar at home, 1937

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#72 Gina Malo, the actress who made her debut in ‘Goodnight Vienna’, 1937

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#73 Actress Patricia Ellis Smoking Cigarette

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#74 British actress Jean Colin reclines in a seductive pose, 1937

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#75 Leslie Howard and Marla Shelton talk in a scene from ‘Stand In’, 1937

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#76 Osa Johnson smoking a cigarette with a woman in traditional clothing, 1937

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#77 American film star Bette Davis, 1939

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#78 Young woman sitting on the bumper of a car, smoking a cigarette, 1930

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