"Top Sheets" Tobacco Premium Quilt

In the early twentieth century, ladies' magazines and tobacco companies encouraged women to collect and use fabric premiums to make decorative items for the home, such as quilts and pillows. The premiums, which included items such as the printed cotton flags seen in this quilt, either came with a tobacco purchase or could be redeemed with coupons collected from the packages. The promotion was designed to incentivize tobacco consumption and encourage brand loyalty. Although many social commentators of the time regarded smoking as unladylike, men were free to indulge without fear of judgement.