Untitled (American Indian Man)

Copied Unidentified, Untitled (American Indian Man), ca. 1850-1890, carved softwood with traces of paint and stain and metal, 60 1⁄2 x 20 x 19 in. (153.7 x 50.9 x 48.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.303
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Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (American Indian Man)
Artist
Unidentified
Date
ca. 1850-1890
Location
Dimensions
60 1⁄2 x 20 x 19 in. (153.7 x 50.9 x 48.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved softwood with traces of paint and stain and metal
Classifications
Keywords
  • Indian
  • Figure male — full length
  • Occupation — hunter — trapper
Object Number
1986.65.303
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.303

Artwork Description

The decline of the shipbuilding industry in the nineteenth century led many shipcarvers to turn to making shop figures. The most popular of these were cigar store Indians, which stood outside tobacco shops. The symbol of a Native American commonly appeared to advertise tobacco, which was discovered in the New World. The popularity of the figures declined by the end of the nineteenth century, however, with the introduction of electrical store signs and anti-sidewalk-obstruction laws.