Many of the 19th Century tobacco manufacturers made at least one brand of cigarettes that used the words "straight cut" as part of the brandname. Tobacco leaves for a particular cigarette 'blend' were selected according to types, percentages, and crops. These leaves were then fed into a cutting or shredding machine, and a "long cut" smoking tobacco was produced. The small ribbons of tobacco could be either a straight cut, a curly cut, or a Bird's-eye cut. The orientation of the leaves, and if any stems where included, produced the different styles. A straight cut tobacco will lie straight. The early cutting machines had a 20 inch wide adjustable knife that could slice the tobacco into any degree of fineness needed. The period 'look' of the 1880's display card that I have pictured below, is typical of the high quality advertising produced while Victoria was still queen of a very prosperous England. Tasteful, elegant, and creative (daisies used to frame a pretty woman), these early ads helped Americans cope during an industrial revolution where long work days, un-fair wages, child labor, poor sanitation, and pollution were a way of life. Placed on a merchant's counter, the die-cut, embossed, and multicolored card would have allowed the viewer a moments respite.