Cigar Store Indian

Art Historical Context

**Cigar Store Indian**, a captivating watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil rendering by Sydney Roberts circa 1941, meticulously captures one of America's iconic folk art traditions. Measuring 16 7/16 x 12 9/16 inches on paperboard, this piece belongs to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Launched in 1935, the Index commissioned artists to document everyday American objects through precise, colorful illustrations, preserving cultural heritage at risk of being lost. Roberts' work depicts a classic "Cigar Store Indian"—wooden trade figures that adorned tobacco shops from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. These larger-than-life sculptures, often carved by immigrant woodcarvers, symbolized the "exotic" allure of tobacco while reflecting commercial ingenuity and stereotypes of Native Americans. The mixed-media technique—vibrant watercolors for rich tones, graphite for fine details, and colored pencil for subtle highlights—lends a lifelike quality, bridging historical artifact and modern artistry. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this artwork highlights the Index's role in celebrating vernacular design, offering visitors a window into pre-war America's material culture and the enduring appeal of folk traditions.

About the Artist

Sydney Roberts

Sydney Roberts is an artist about whom reliable biographical information is not widely documented in the major art historical literature. No confirmed dates of birth or death have been established, and details regarding training, nationality, and primary period of activity remain absent from readily available scholarly sources. Works attributed to Sydney Roberts have entered institutional collect...