Cigar Store Indian 1935 - 1942

Curator: What we have here is a drawing entitled "Cigar Store Indian," attributed to an anonymous artist and created sometime between 1935 and 1942, utilizing colored pencil. Editor: Well, my first impression is one of surprising delicacy. The subdued palette, the finely rendered details…it feels far removed from the garishness one might expect from such an object. Curator: Indeed. And that is telling, isn't it? These figures, often rendered in quite a stereotyped manner, were ubiquitous advertising tools outside tobacconists, particularly throughout the 19th century. This rendering almost imbues the figure with a solemn dignity. Editor: Observe the formal aspects; the columnar structure of the figure and the somewhat subdued modelling; there is very little bright tonal range within. We also have the subject’s attire - there is careful rendering of layered costume, decorated with detailed patterning, possibly suggesting folk-art or an echo of indigenous aesthetics. Curator: Absolutely. One must remember, too, that the cigar store Indian, while seemingly celebrating indigenous peoples, simultaneously functioned as a signifier of colonial dominance and commodification. The commercial appropriation of identity... It's complex. Editor: The very gesture she makes—hand to chest—speaks of an artificial and commodified ‘native identity’… There is something intensely performative about this image; she's a mannequin, but also she is forced to stand as the symbolic face for an entire race. This artwork raises questions about the commercialization of indigenous culture and the way these figures were utilized and displayed in public. Curator: And what I see here is the artist seeking, even inadvertently, to reclaim a sense of inherent humanity, the drawing itself perhaps being an act of artistic decolonization of sorts, reinterpreting what was always and still is offensive, for many. Editor: It makes me contemplate, therefore, how representation and symbolism become so entwined with the complexities of power and consumerism, and how our perceptions might shape our interpretations of their meaning. Curator: A worthy discussion provoked by such a poignant image; it highlights how something that seems outwardly commercial may harbor deeper societal stories and complexities.