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Yes those levers are low, but notice the word 'tourist' in the title.
The bars in the picture are very shallow and even have rubber grips at their ends. It looks as though these riders were planning to hold the ends of the bars rather than anywhere else. We can't see their gearing, but I suspect it is low.
This Gillott, by contrast, has deeper bars and gearing intended for road racing. I think its bottom gear is 46 x 22 (56.5"). Try climbing steep gradients on that without honking - that's when you need to hold on top of the brake lever hoods.
clubman
@midlife
Way back when brake levers did get quite low. Here's a pic of my old boss Cliff Pratt on the front cover of his book
https://thejerseypocket.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/photo-11-04-2015-12-18-38.jpg?w=1200