Cigar store Indian

Cigar store Indian
For the Seinfeld episode, see The Cigar Store Indian
Cigar store indian.jpg

The cigar store Indian or wooden Indian is an advertisement figure, in the likeness of an American Indian, made to represent tobacconists, much like: barber poles advertise barber shops; Show globe for an apothecary; or the three gold balls of the pawn shop. The figures are often three-dimensional wooden sculptures several feet tall – up to life-sized. They are still occasionally used for their original advertising purpose but are more often seen as decorations or advertising collectibles.

History

Because of the general illiteracy of the populace, early store owners used descriptive emblems or figures to advertise their shops' wares. American Indians and tobacco had always been associated because American Indians introduced tobacco to Europeans,[1] and the depiction of native people on smoke-shop signs was almost inevitable. As early as the seventeenth century, European tobacconists used figures of American Indians to advertise their shops. Because European carvers had never seen a Native American, these early cigar-store "Indians" looked more like black slaves with feathered headdresses and other fanciful, exotic features. These carvings were called "Black Boys" or "Virginians" in the trade. Eventually, the European cigar-store figure began to take on a more "authentic" yet highly stylized native visage, and by the time the smoke-shop figure arrived in the Americas in the late eighteenth century,[2] it had become thoroughly "Indian."

Chief Heckawi at Windsor, England, 2006

Today

The cigar store Indian became less common in the 20th century[3] for a variety of reasons. New sidewalk-obstruction laws, higher manufacturing costs, restrictions on tobacco advertising, and increased racial sensitivity relegated the figures to museums and antique shops.[4] To some, the cigar store Indian is considered the native equivalent of the black lawn jockey[5] —a stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans; however, cigar store Indians are still made for sale and can be found outside cigar stores. One example of the meme still in current use is the Natural American Spirit tobacco company's stylized image of a Native American smoking a peace pipe as its brand logo.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cigar-store Indian — {n. phr.} A wooden statue of an Indian which in the past was placed in front of a cigar store. * /A cigar store Indian used to mean a cigar store in the same way a barber pole still means a barber shop./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • cigar-store Indian — {n. phr.} A wooden statue of an Indian which in the past was placed in front of a cigar store. * /A cigar store Indian used to mean a cigar store in the same way a barber pole still means a barber shop./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • cigar-store\ Indian — n. phr. A wooden statue of an Indian which in the past was placed in front of a cigar store. A cigar store Indian used to mean a cigar store in the same way a barber pole still means a barber shop …   Словарь американских идиом

  • cigar-store indian —  ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun Usage: usually capitalized I : a wooden effigy of an American Indian at a cigar store door * * * /si gahr stawr , stohr / a wooden statue of an American Indian, traditionally displayed at the entrance of cigar stores. [1925… …   Useful english dictionary

  • cigar-store Indian — /si gahr stawr , stohr / a wooden statue of an American Indian, traditionally displayed at the entrance of cigar stores. [1925 30] * * * …   Universalium

  • The Cigar Store Indian — Infobox Television episode Title = The Cigar Store Indian Series = Seinfeld Caption = Jerry posing with the cigar store Indian. Season = 5 Episode = 74 Airdate = December 9, 1993 Production = Writer = Tom Gammill Max Pross Director = Tom Cherones …   Wikipedia

  • cigar store Indian — noun a carved wood figure of a Native American, once commonly used as a sign in front of a tobacco shop. {US English (1930s) …  

  • ci|gar-store Indian — «suh GAHR STR, STOHR», = wooden statue (Cf. ↑wooden Indian) in the shape of an American Indian, placed in front of cigar stores in former times …   Useful english dictionary

  • Indian — See: CIGAR STORE INDIAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Indian — See: CIGAR STORE INDIAN …   Dictionary of American idioms

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