Indiano del negozio di sigari
c. 1936
Rendered in a realistic style, Elmer G. Anderson’s 1936 design drawing captures the iconic pose of a 'Cigar Store Indian,' a figure that once stood guard outside tobacco shops across America. The muscular figure stands tall on a pedestal, hand shielding his eyes as if scanning the horizon, dressed in an elaborate feathered headdress and fringed skirt. The text at the bottom, reading 'Scale 1/8,' reveals this sketch was a blueprint for a much larger, full-sized sculpture. While these statues were originally carved to advertise tobacco—note the bundle of cigars clutched in the left hand—they are now recognized as complex historical artifacts representing a stereotypical era of American commercial art.
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