Cigar Store Figure
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and heightening on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 29 x 22.8 cm (11 7/16 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.10163
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Great Depression, artist Mina Lowry captured the whimsical spirit of American folk art her 1937 watercolor *Cigar Store Figure*, of the prestigious Index of American Design. This Federal Art Project initiative, sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), artists to create meticulous renderings of everyday objects, preserving the nation's cultural heritage amid economic hardship. Lowry's detailed depiction showcases a classic cigar store figure—a wooden statue typically carved as a Native American chief or Seminole, used as eye-catching shop signs from the mid-19th...
About the Artist
Mina Lowry
Mina Lowry (1894–1942), an American artist born in Canada, emerged as a prominent portrait painter whose career bridged traditional portraiture and the documentation of American folk art. Immigrating to Buffalo, New York, with her family around 1901, she honed her skills early on, winning first prize for modeling at the Albright Art School and studying under the esteemed Florence J. Bach. Lowry fu...