Fatima
Product brand
UnclaimedFatima was a historic American cigarette brand marketed by Liggett & Myers as an exotic Turkish-tobacco cigarette.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Fatima was an American cigarette brand associated with the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. Introduced in the 1870s, it was positioned around the period's fascination with Turkish and Egyptian tobacco, with its name and visual identity designed to suggest an exotic Middle Eastern origin. Early packaging used imagery including a veiled woman, a crescent moon and stars, and an Iron Cross associated with the Ottoman Empire. The brand was initially produced under the Cameron & Cameron name in Richmond, Virginia, before the business was identified with Liggett & Myers as successor. The brand benefited from two important developments in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century cigarette business. It was among the early cigarette brands to be manufactured using a cigarette-making machine, helping it compete at scale as machine production transformed the industry. It also participated in the expanding American market for Turkish-style cigarettes and blends. During the 1910s, Fatima became one of the leading cigarette brands in the United States and was reportedly the country's best-selling cigarette from 1910 through 1920. Around 1911, Fatima became one of the first cigarette brands sold in a 20-cigarette pack. The pack was priced at 15 cents, and the format helped establish a retail convention that later became standard across the cigarette category. Its marketing combined sophisticated lifestyle positioning with broad promotional activity. Print advertisements presented Fatima as an appropriate cigarette for educated and prosperous consumers, particularly after an elegant meal or during an evening in fashionable company. At the same time, Liggett & Myers used premiums and collectible inserts to reach a wider range of smokers. Promotional material included university flag cards, baseball-team cards, posters, billboards, a flip book, and seasonal advertising. Fatima's leadership weakened during the 1920s. The cultural appeal of Turkish imagery declined after the First World War, when geopolitical tensions changed American perceptions of the region. The launch of Camel in 1913 created an especially powerful competitor; by the middle of the 1920s, Camel had captured a substantial share of the American market and helped shift industry attention toward newer mass-market brands. Fatima advertising was discontinued during the Great Depression, further reducing its visibility. After the Second World War, Liggett & Myers attempted to modernize the product. In the late 1940s, Fatima was converted into a king-size cigarette, approximately 10 millimeters longer than the earlier format, to compete with contemporary brands. The company also invested in radio promotion. Fatima sponsored the early Dragnet radio series, with creator and star Jack Webb delivering advertising messages and appearing in print promotions. The brand additionally sponsored Tales of Fatima, a short-lived mystery anthology hosted by Basil Rathbone, whose character and commercial appearances were incorporated into the program's promotional structure. Despite these efforts, Fatima's traditional imagery increasingly appeared old-fashioned from the mid-1950s onward. Its historic association with veiled-woman and Turkish themes no longer matched the modern branding strategies of faster-growing competitors. Liggett & Myers gradually phased the brand out, with production ending around 1980. Fatima is therefore primarily significant as an early mass-produced American cigarette, an influential 20-cigarette-pack pioneer, a major pre-1920s cigarette brand, and an example of the close relationship between tobacco marketing, collectible promotions, and sponsored radio entertainment.
History
Fatima emerged in the United States during the 1870s, when cigarettes made with Turkish and Egyptian tobaccos were becoming increasingly attractive to American consumers. The brand's name, pronounced "fa-TEE-ma," was a common Arabic or Turkish women's name in American usage and helped reinforce its intended regional associations. Its early packaging used a veiled Middle Eastern woman together with Ottoman-inspired symbols, including a crescent moon and stars and an Iron Cross. The product was initially connected with Cameron & Cameron of Richmond, Virginia; later packaging identified Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company as the successor. Fatima was an early participant in the mechanization of cigarette production. It was among the first brands to be made on a cigarette machine, an important distinction at a time when machine production was increasing output, standardizing products, and lowering the cost of reaching a national market. The brand's Turkish-style positioning benefited from a broader commercial interest in cigarettes made with Turkish and Egyptian tobaccos. During the early twentieth century, manufacturers in this segment expanded rapidly and became serious competitors to established American cigarette companies. The brand reached its strongest position between approximately 1910 and 1920. It was described as the best-selling cigarette in the United States during that decade. Around 1911, Fatima was among the first brands to sell cigarettes in 20-unit packs, priced at 15 cents. The package format became one of the product's most notable commercial contributions. Fatima's advertising also helped define its public image. Campaigns appeared in posters, billboards, newspapers, magazines, and seasonal material, while cigarette packs carried promotional collectibles. A set of American university flags was issued in 1910, and packs included cards depicting American baseball teams in 1913. A flip book and other promotional items extended the brand beyond conventional print advertising. From 1917 to 1919, the Frank Seaman Agency produced advertisements aimed at an educated and prosperous audience. The copy presented Fatima as a distinctive choice suitable after a refined meal or during a fashionable evening. The brand was nevertheless not limited to that audience: Liggett & Myers also offered premiums intended to attract smokers across social classes. This combination of aspirational imagery and collectible promotions was characteristic of early twentieth-century tobacco marketing. Fatima's decline began during the 1920s. The First World War weakened the appeal of the romanticized Turkish image that had supported the brand's identity. At the same time, Camel, introduced by R.J. Reynolds in 1913, became a major mass-market rival. By the middle of the 1920s, Camel had taken a large share of the American cigarette market, while R.J. Reynolds had become a leading force in the industry. Fatima's older positioning was increasingly out of step with the direction of cigarette branding. Advertising was discontinued during the Great Depression, removing an important source of consumer visibility. Liggett & Myers later attempted to reposition Fatima for the postwar market. In the late 1940s, the brand was changed to a king-size cigarette, roughly 10 millimeters longer than the earlier product. The relaunch was supported by an extensive radio campaign. Fatima was the sole sponsor of the early Dragnet radio series, and Jack Webb, the program's creator and star, voiced advertisements and appeared in print endorsements. A separate short-lived program, Tales of Fatima, used Basil Rathbone as host. Rathbone also delivered commercials and appeared in related magazine advertising, while references to the sponsor were integrated into the program's stories. The postwar modernization did not reverse the brand's long-term decline. By the mid-1950s, the veiled-woman imagery and Turkish theme were widely perceived as old-fashioned compared with the cleaner and more contemporary identities of competing cigarette brands. Liggett & Myers eventually phased Fatima out, with the brand disappearing from production around 1980. Its historical importance rests on its early use of machine production, its role in popularizing the 20-cigarette pack, its former leadership in the American market, and its innovative use of radio sponsorship and collectible tobacco promotions.
- 1980
Brand is phased out
[1]Liggett & Myers ends Fatima production around 1980 after a long decline in market relevance.
- 1940
King-size product introduced
[1]Liggett & Myers converts Fatima to a longer king-size cigarette in the late 1940s.
- 1940
Radio sponsorship expands
[1]Fatima sponsors early Dragnet broadcasts and launches the short-lived Tales of Fatima association with Basil Rathbone.
- 1930
Advertising is suspended during the Depression
[1]Fatima advertising is discontinued during the Great Depression.
- 1917
Aspirational print campaign begins
[1]The Frank Seaman Agency develops advertising presenting Fatima as a distinctive cigarette for educated and prosperous consumers.
- 1913
Baseball cards appear in packs
[1]Fatima packs include cards featuring American baseball teams as part of the brand's promotional program.
- 1911
20-cigarette pack introduced
[1]Fatima becomes one of the first brands sold in a pack of 20 cigarettes, reportedly priced at 15 cents.
- 1910
Fatima reaches peak market prominence
[1]The brand becomes the best-selling cigarette in the United States during the 1910–1920 period.
- 1870
Fatima is launched
[1]Fatima is introduced in the United States as a cigarette associated with Turkish tobacco and exotic Middle Eastern imagery.
Products and positioning
Originally positioned as an exotic Turkish-style cigarette for sophisticated consumers, Fatima later adopted a king-size format and mass-media sponsorships to compete with newer American cigarette brands.
Cigarettes · 1870
Fatima Turkish-style cigarettes
The original Fatima product was a cigarette marketed around a blend associated with Turkish tobaccos. Its packaging used exoticized Middle Eastern imagery, including a veiled woman and Ottoman symbols, to differentiate the brand in the expanding American cigarette market. The product was among the early machine-made cigarettes and became one of the leading U.S. brands during the 1910s.
Cigarettes · 1940
Fatima King Size
Introduced in the late 1940s, the king-size version made the cigarettes approximately 10 millimeters longer. The change was an attempt to modernize Fatima and keep it competitive with postwar cigarette brands that were increasingly using longer formats and more contemporary positioning.
Marketing campaigns
- 1940Dragnet radio sponsorship
United States
Fatima served as the sole sponsor during the early years of the Dragnet radio series. Jack Webb delivered on-air pitches and appeared in print advertising for the brand.
Outcome. The sponsorship gave Fatima prominent association with a nationally visible entertainment property during its postwar modernization effort.
- 1940Tales of Fatima
United States
Basil Rathbone hosted a short-lived mystery anthology connected to Fatima. The program incorporated references to the sponsor into its stories, and Rathbone also delivered the commercials and appeared in magazine advertisements.
Outcome. The program was short-lived but illustrates Fatima's use of branded radio entertainment.
- 1917Distinctively individual
United States
Frank Seaman Agency advertising framed Fatima as a refined and distinctive cigarette suitable after an elegant meal or during a fashionable evening. Liggett & Myers complemented the print campaign with premiums intended to broaden the brand's appeal.
Outcome. The campaign reinforced Fatima's aspirational identity, although the brand later lost ground as consumer tastes and competitive conditions changed.
- 1913American baseball team cards
United States
Cards featuring American baseball teams were included in Fatima cigarette packs, connecting the brand with a popular national pastime.
Outcome. The promotion extended Fatima's appeal beyond its formal advertising and positioned the packs as collectible objects.
- 1910Collectible university flag cards
United States
Fatima packs distributed a set of cards depicting flags of American universities, using collectible content to encourage purchases and repeat engagement.
Outcome. The promotion formed part of the brand's broader early tobacco-card strategy.
Brand decisions
1940
Conversion to king-size cigarettesGeneration changeBackground
After the Second World War, Liggett & Myers faced a cigarette market increasingly shaped by newer flagship brands and longer cigarette formats.
Action taken
Liggett & Myers changed Fatima to a king-size product approximately 10 millimeters longer than the earlier cigarettes.
Aftermath
The change was supported by radio advertising but did not prevent the brand's longer-term decline and eventual discontinuation.
1911
Adoption of the 20-cigarette packStrategyBackground
Fatima operated in a rapidly expanding cigarette market where standardized packaging and machine production were improving national distribution.
Action taken
The brand sold cigarettes in packs of 20 at a reported price of 15 cents.
Aftermath
The format became a notable part of Fatima's commercial history and later became standard across much of the cigarette category.
Sources1 sources
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