Cigar store Indian

For the Seinfeld episode, see The Cigar Store Indian

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

1. ^ The Freelance Star (Sep 11, 1982) Cigar Store Indian was Early Advertising Sign Retrieved 2010 May 3
2. ^ The Milwaukee Journal (Mar 17, 1968) Cigar Store Indian Started in England Retrieved 2010 May 3
3. ^ Lewiston Evening Journal (Nov 4, 1944) Once Familiar Cigar Store Indian No Longer Designates Tobacco Shop Retrieved 2010 May 3
4. ^ Eugene Register (Sep 17, 1952) Cigar Store Indian Getting New Life Retrieved 2010 May 3
5. ^ The Milwaukee Journal (Dec 11, 1948) First Cigar Store Indian Wasn't an Indian at all Retrieved 2010 May 3