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Anti-Cigarette League Films and Lantern Slides, approximately 1910-1930

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Anti-Cigarette League
Title
Anti-Cigarette League Films and Lantern Slides
Dates
approximately 1910-1930 (inclusive)
Quantity
16 film reels and 267 slides (5 boxes)
Collection Number
PH1282
Summary
Films and glass lantern slides produced by the Anti-Cigarette League of America
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Selected images can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Historical Note

The Anti-Cigarette League of America was founded in 1899 by Lucy Page Gaston. Gaston, a teacher who was troubled by the cigarette-smoking boys who performed poorly in her classes, started the league as part of the temperance and prohibition movements that were the driving force behind legislation that banned cigarettes in 15 states. Dissension grew among the members of the league during World War I, when cigarettes became a symbol of patriotism. Gaston protested against taxpayer money being spent to ship cigarettes to soldiers overseas while other members capitulated due to the movement's growing unpopularity from among the public. Gaston, refusing to compromise, was ousted from the Anti-Cigarette League of America and continued to form her own anti-cigarette groups, to little effect. When soldiers returned from World War I, the popularity of cigarettes exploded and the Anti-Cigarette League fell from prominence.

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Content Description

Films and lantern slide programs created by the Anti-Cigarette League of America about the dangers of smoking. Includes presentations on the following aspects of smoking: famous figures' quotes about smoking, horticulture and history of tobacco and nicotine, costs associated with smoking, damage to human organs, the Battle Creek Sanatorium, scientific experiments, physiological images, medical studies, social and moral issues, cigarette advertising, women's issues, reformatory schools, prostitution and venereal disease.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the Special Collections division of the University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

Material apparently came to Bastyr University from Jesse Mercer Gehman (1901-1976), an early naturopathic physician who published the anti-smoking book Smoke Over America in 1943.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Bastyr University, 2014.

Processing Note

Processed by Andrew Weaver, 2015.

Revised by Susan Fitch, 2018.

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Detailed Description of the Collection