Description
Cigar Store Indian Sculpture 70" Tall Aluminum Cast
Due to HIGH demand these items are being made as ordered - Allow 8 weeks for delivery
The Cigar Store Indian statue goes back as far as 1600’s and still holds an important place for cigar shops in the US
In the 1600’s, as ships from America began to bring tobacco to England, cigar shop owners displayed carved Indians in front of their stores as a symbol of the introduction to tobacco by Native Americans. American Indians were the original subjects for the figures, because they had, after all, introduced Christopher Columbus and his crew to tobacco.
The early carvings were made by artisans who had never seen a Native American. Therefore, the statues looked more like black men or “Virginians” with feathered headdresses wearing kilts made of tobacco. Eventually, the European tobacco shop figure began to take on a more “authentic” look. By the late 18thcentury, the statue had become completely “Indian” in the Americas.
By the 1850s, American cities were growing in size and there were more tobacco stores. This is the time when the cigar store Indian began appearing on American streets. Due to the level of illiteracy and a large non-English speaking population, shop owners used figures, emblems, and symbols to advertise their wares. Barbershops displayed the iconic barbershop red and white poles and tobaccos shops placed the wooden Indian in front of the store as an advertisement.
He stands tall and proud to be the native american who introduced tobacco to the New World.
He has a bundle of cigars in his hand.
Cast Aluminum in Clay Molds
New Antique Reproduction Bronzed
70″ tall
22″ wide
16″ depth
Weighs: 90 lbs
