CIGAR STORE INDIAN NATIVE AMERICAN TOBBACO

Where would businesses be without signs? A big, red flying horse points the way to a gas station and yellow arches mean French fries are nearby! In the days before widespread literacy, illustrated signs allowed the gemon man to find what he was looking for without having to ask directions. Even more eye-catching were the life-sized statues that stood guard outside of shop doors. And of them all, the most gemon shop statue in the 1800s was undoubtedly the Cigar Store Indian. Known as shop figures, these carved wooden statues stood in front of tobacconists' shops in almost every city across North America throughout the 19th Hand-carved cigar store Indian, circa 1910-1930 century. The first mention of a tobacconist figure, however, is in a publication from 1617. In the illustration of the interior of a tobacconist's shop, it is possible to see a quarter-size statue of an African boy in a feathered skirt with a tobacco roll under his arm and clay pipes at his feet. Without a doubt, the heyday of shop figures in America was between 1840 and 1890. Artists who carved figureheads for sailing ships worked furiously to produce not just maritime carvings, but also architectural and church work, circus wagon figures and life-size shop figures, also known as show figures. The American Indian was the most gemon of these show figures, but you might also find carved images of Scotsmen, politicians, baseball players or even fashionable ladies. Sculpture of a cigar store Indian At one point, almost 100,000 wooden or metal Cigar Store Indians inhabited North America. At the same time, the live population of American Indians totaled only about twice that number! Like the American Indian people themselves, Cigar Store Indians were objects of abuse, and few survived the vandalism. By 1900, very few remained at all, and those that did were often stuffed away in back rooms and basements. Uncared for and forgotten, the history of most of these antiques is now lost. Professional carvers made the majority of antique Cigar Shop Indians by using axes, mallets and chisels on pieces of white pine - generally using three- to seven-foot sections of masts. Crude wooden figures were often covered with plaster, which the craftsmen then carved and painted to make finer features. The result is a fascinating blend of folk, fine and popular art. American-made Cigar Store Indians were usually clothed in fringed buckskins draped with blankets, sported feathered headdresses and held a weapon of some kind. The facial features rarely looked like any particular tribal people. New reproduction of a cigar store Indian Sometimes large tobacco distributors, like William DeMuth and gepany, marketed the figures. DeMuth set up displays in fairs and expositions across the country, including the World's Columbian Exposition Cigar store Indian, circa 1950s in Chicago in 1893. Very few were carved after the turn of the century, however, since the advent of the steel-hulled ship put most of the carvers out of business. The figures were also considered old-fashioned and uncouth. Today, top examples of antique wooden Cigar Store Indians sell for as much as $100,000, depending upon the condition, artistic integrity, quality and intricacy of the carving. The decisive factor in the price is generally the condition of the wooden finish. It's almost impossible to find one of these antique figures with the original paint, so such a treasure usually brings top dollar. Originally, artisans applied polychrome paint with brushes that had softer bristles than modern brushes. The result was a statue that had the look and feel of satin with a translucent glow. Most of these antique statues were unsigned, but many artists used particular body postures as a trademark. Louis Jobin posed his figures with their left arms holding a robe at chest level, and their right hand holding a bunch of cigars. Thomas Brooks carved figures that leaned against posts, barrels or oversized cigars. V-shaped headdresses characterized John Cromwell's Indians. Samuel Robb carved sweet-faced Indian maidens holding roses, resembling those he carved for his deceased wife's tombstone. A genuine antique Cigar Shop Indian in even mediocre condition from before the turn of the century will cost around $4,000. There simply were not enough examples saved to keep the prices low. However, if you'd like to collect this type of art, modern craftsmen make reproductions that sell for between $250 and $2,000, depending upon their size and artistry. You may also want to start a collection of ephemera mentioning or illustrating Cigar Store Indians. There are many pieces of tobacciana out there as well, showing the Cigar Shop Indian. For many folks, the appeal of the Cigar Store Indian is well worth the expense as well as the search. At last, these figures are gaining the respect that they so richly deserve.