Chris Calle: Cigar Store Figurehead

Artist: Chris Calle
1961 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1985
Image Size: 17 by 11 inches
Overall Size: 23.125 by 16.25 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Cold Press Illustration Board

The artistry of America's folk art vividly evokes life in the small towns and homesteads of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Usually using nothing more that a knife or a piece of broken glass, the wood carving artist transformed an odd piece of pine or cedar into a unique work of art. Often the wood carver would work for storekeepers who wanted wooden figures to place outside their shops, advertising their wares. The most distinctively American form of such figure carvings is the cigar store figures created between 1850 and 1885. Cigar Store Indians carried a message even the most uneducated person could understand: "tobacco sold here." They welcomed smokers by offering a bunch of cigars in one hand and a plug of tobacco in the other. Some were carved in simple relief; others featured ornate designs and expressions which gave the Indians an elegant yet friendly air.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day of Issue Maximum Card for the U.S. 22¢ Cigar Store Indian Figure stamp issued October 1, 1986.

Artwork Copyright © 1985 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB10078

US$ Price: $1,100.00

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