Cigar Store Indian
c. 1941
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 41.8 x 31.9 cm (16 7/16 x 12 9/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.10028
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 "Ciga...
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...