Leonard Mccombe

This iconic photograph, taken by Leonard McCombe, was used by the Philip Morris Company to transform Marlboro cigarettes from the feminine appeal of being “Mild as May” to a more rugged image that appealed to men. When this campaign began in 1955, sales were at $5 billion; by 1957, they had jumped to $20 billion despite growing health concerns over cigarettes. McCombe took this photo of Clarence Hailey Long, a ranch foreman in Texas, in 1949.