Cigar Store Figure

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 to early 20th centuries, evoking a bygone era of urban commerce and craftsmanship. Rendered in watercolor, graphite, and heightening on paperboard (measuring just 11⅞ x 9 inches), Lowry's work masterfully blends soft color washes with precise pencil lines and luminous highlights to mimic the figure's carved wood grain, vibrant paints, and three-dimensional form. This technique not only documented the object's textures and patina but also elevated folk art to fine art status, highlighting its role in American identity. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art, it invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary trade symbols reflected cultural narratives and immigrant ingenuity.

About the Artist

Mina Lowry · 1894–1942

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...