She: What do you think, Kate–shall I take off another stitch or two?
He (sotto voce)–Take off another stitch! Dear, dear! I had better absent myself without delay!
This is about as racy as 1918 gets.
Judge, January 12, 1918
Note to advertisers: if you want to get a half-naked woman into the New York Times, make her an Egyptian goddess.
From the New York TImes rotogravure: the “new wartime evening gown” with a knitting pocket. Waltzing…sharp needles…what could go wrong?
New York Times, January 13, 1918 (All the photos in the rotogravure were this bad.)
My Life 100 Years Ago 
Egyptian cigarettes were quite the thing, according to a few English short stories I read decades ago. (Maugham? Mansfield?). I love “people of culture, refinement, and education.” Hah! This was before “No Smoking” signs went up everywhere, no doubt.
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You have such great tidbits about the 1918 era! Judging from the ads, smoking was all about exoticism. They do make it seem kind of appealing.
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