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Untitled (American Indian Woman)

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  • Unidentified, Untitled (American Indian Woman), ca. 1850-1890, carved softwood with traces of paint and stain and metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.384

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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.

Title
Untitled (American Indian Woman)
Artist
Unidentified
Date
ca. 1850-1890
On View
  1. Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. 2nd Floor
  3. East Wing
Dimensions
48 3/4 x 16 3/4 x 16 1/4 in. (123.8 x 42.5 x 41.3 cm.)
Copyright
Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson

Mediums
iron
wood
Mediums Description
carved softwood with traces of paint and stain and metal
Classifications
Sculpture
Keywords
  • Ethnic – Indian
Object Number
1986.65.384
Palette
Linked Open Data URI

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