Native Americans were Credited with Introducing Tobacco to Europeans

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, so why do cigar stores have statues of native Americans in front of them and what is the history of the “Cigar Store Indian”? The story of the Cigar Store Indians actually started in the United Kingdom.

Native Americans were credited with introducing tobacco to Europeans and the Cigar Store Indian was inspired by that gift . Over time the Cigar Store Indian grew to symbolize the tobacconists.

The photo is from the The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood , 10 Chestnut St Ridgewood, NJ 07450.

While the Cigar Store Indian is considered real Americana ,the use of the carved Indian as a symbol in front of a tobacco shop actually began in England in the early 1600s as the ships from America began to bring back tobacco. The symbolism of the statues was because the source of the tobacco supply at that time was from Native Americans.  By 1650 tobacco was growing in popularity, and in London, several Cigar Store Indians gave rise to what became a form of signage that was used for 250 years.

The colonists also enjoyed tobacco, but initially, towns were small enough that townspeople simply knew where they could buy certain items.  By the 1850s, cities were increasing in size and there were more stand-alone tobacco stores. This was when the Cigar Store Indian took its place on American streets.

In the 19th century many people could not read, so store owners placed carvings of various symbols in front of their shops so passersby knew what was sold inside. So different trades had different trademarks that made clear what kind of shops they are. Some of those signs are still being used. Think of the mortar and pestle still used by pharmacies. Or the red, blue and white striped poles at barber shops. Cigar Store Indians are that trademark for tobacconists.

Most of the men who carved cigar store Indians came from a shipbuilding background where they specialized in sculpting wooden figureheads for each ship.  These carvings—figureheads and store carvings–were generally out of a single piece of wood,  (An outstretched arm sometimes had to be attached separately.)  Everything from the selection of the material to the artistry of the carving made a difference.

Because there were not many carvers, cigar store Indians were not widely available until the 1850s when the shipping industry began to switch from wooden ships to ironclad steam vessels, and the ironclads had no need for figureheads. When the ship-carving business dried up, the artists were delighted to turn to carvings for retail establishments. Two of the more famous carvers of the nineteenth century were Julius Melchers (1829-1908) and Samuel Robb (1851-1928). A well-preserved statue by  an exceptional artist can bring over $100,000 at auction.

The statues used to mark various stores took on personalities given them by the townspeople.  In Reading, Pennsylvania, the cigar store Indian was known as Old Eagle Eye. Chief Blackhawk, carrying a warrior’s club and a lion skin, lived on the streets of Louisville, Kentucky.  Chief Semloh was created in 1849 in San Francisco, and he lasted on the streets there until the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. Semloh was removed from the street, but someone took an interest in tinkering with him. They made it so he could blow smoke through his mouth and talk through a loudspeaker in his chest.