This thesis examines the development of cigarette advertising in Brazil during the 20th century. The analysis is based on an examination of advertisements published in three of the country s main illustrated magazines between 1909 and 2000: Ilustração Brasileira (1909-1958), O Cruzeiro (1928-1985), and Manchete (1952-2000). A total of 5,121 magazines were analyzed, from which 5,462 words and expressions were extracted, as well as the illustrative images from over 2,600 ads that make up the research corpus. The study covers practically the entire period of cigarette advertising in the country. Assuming as its main reference a literature committed to understanding consumption from an anthropological perspective, this thesis aims to analyze the advertising discourse fostered by the tobacco industry. The objective is to gain a better understanding of the habit of smoking cigarettes in Brazil and consumption practices in general. The proposal is fundamentally a reflection on the role of advertising in the social construction of cigarette consumption. This includes an understanding of its decisive participation, as well as its limits, in the consolidation of a market that involves more than 1.3 billion consumers worldwide.