How to increase lung power...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to light a match in the wind...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to see the wind...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to measure with coins...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to remove a tight ring from the finger...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to mend broken china...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to blow over a brick...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to extract a splinter...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to proportionate enlargement or reduction...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to prevent an ink bottle from upsetting...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to judge freshness of a lobster...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to judge the weather...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to keep saucepan lids raised...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to kill a tree stump...
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to make corks fit...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to make nuts secure...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to make a padlock cover...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to pick up broken glass...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to preserve autumn leaves...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to prevent eye glasses steaming...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to pull out long nails...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to remove glass stopper from bottle...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to separate glass tumblers...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to "swat that fly"...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to treat bite of animal...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to use up coal dust...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to make water fountain for chicks...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to clean a clock...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to clean bottles...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to clean oil painting...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to clean a white straw hat...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to cool wine without ice...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to cut new bread into thin slices...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to detect dampness in beds...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
How to draw a duck without pencil leaving the paper...The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection
In the 1910s, the United Kingdom's Gallaher brand cigarettes gave smokers a little something extra in each pack: proto-"life hacks" on pack-stiffening cigarette cards, complete with gorgeous, full-color illustrations.
Want to know how to preserve fall leaves? Gallaher has you covered — as long as you can get your hands on spermaceti, a waxy substance generated by sperm whales.
Having trouble slicing new bread (since the pre-sliced variety wouldn't emerge for more than a decade)? Hot water is a knife's best friend.
Looking for a frivolous new doodle for the margins of your college textbooks? Gallaher has a discrete method sure to impress your lab partner (and fool the professor that you're taking copious notes).
Remarkably, many of the "hacks" like these -- and which appear in the gallery above -- have actually aged extraordinarily well. Others -- most notably the lung-strengthening exercise advice from a cigarette manufacturer -- seem quaint at best and downright dangerous at worst. If you choose to listen to 100-year-old advice from a yellowing cigarette card, please, proceed with caution.
Love the aesthetic of cigarette cards? Go back to the 1880s and check out a curious way that another manufacturer tried to sell more smokes. Craving more life hacks? Check out seven sure to improve your day-to-day.
