Life-sized wooden statues outside cigar stores, 1926.
Shops in the 18th and 19th centuries often had signs or figures outside to indicate to an illiterate or non-English speaking population the type of goods or services provided. Wooden carvings of people indicated that tobacco was for sale inside. Statues of Indians were common, for it was the native people who had introduced European settlers to the stuff. In Britain, carvers had never seen a real Indian, so they had to use their imagination, and the result was far from reality.
Cigar store Indians came to the U.S. in the late 18th century. In time, carvers expanded their repertoire to include other kinds of figures—Turks with turbans, soldiers, fashionable ladies. Many of the carvers, who began by creating figures for ships, were located in New York. By the end of the 19th century, however, cities began passing zoning ordinances about the width of streets, and these figures began to disappear. But, as Hoppé's photos testify, there were still some being used in 1926. Today they are collectors' items.
Photos: E.O. Hoppé via the Bruce Silverstein Gallery