Cigar Store Figure
c. 1942
Elizabeth Johnson sketched this striking design for a cigar store figure around 1942, capturing a time when tobacco shops used eye-catching statues to advertise their wares. Instead of the traditional 'cigar store Indian,' this figure is a woman dressed in a ruffled green gown and feathered hat, confidently holding a cigar high in the air like a torch. The drawing, rendered with careful attention to the folds of her dress and the tiered wooden base she stands on, offers a fascinating glimpse into mid-20th-century commercial art and how advertising icons evolved.
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