Chris Calle: Cigar Store Figurines

Artist: Chris Calle
1961 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1985
Image Size: 17 by 11.5 inches
Overall Size: 24 by 16.25 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot 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 Cover 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): Sold

Easy Purchase Plan: Buy this ArtworkOriginal with 8 monthly payments. Payments will be charged automatically as due to your Credit Card.

How to buy Original Artwork:

If you would like to buy Original Artwork, there are several convenient ways:

Use The Artwork Gallery: simply click the "Hang in Gallery" for pictures of interest. This puts the picture in your Personal Artwork Gallery, where you can view or remove it. When you've finished hanging artwork in your Personal Artwork Gallery, Go to your Personal Artwork Gallery and select an option for contacting us or ordering from us from there.

To get in touch with us directly about a piece of Artwork by Phone note the SKU and dial TOLL FREE 1-800-443-4225 from throughout U.S. and Canada.