Cigar Store Indian

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of American folk art with *Cigar Store Indian*, a captivating 1940 watercolor and colored pencil rendering by Walter Hochstrasser This detailed study, measuring 17 5/16 x 11 3/4 inches, depicts one of the iconic wooden trade figures that once stood sentinel outside tobacco shops across the United States. Hochstrasser's use of watercolor for fluid color washes, colored pencil for precise, and heightening—subtle white highlights—for dramatic depth brings the figure's bold carving and painted details to life on paper. Created as part of the Index of American Design, a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, this work preserves the essence of everyday American craftsmanship during the Great Depression. The Index employed artists like Hochstrasser to document folk objects through meticulous, full-color illustrations, safeguarding cultural heritage for future generations. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it exemplifies how these renderings captured the naive yet powerful aesthetics of 19th-century vernacular art. Cigar store Indians, often carved by immigrant woodworkers, symbolized exotic tobacco origins while reflecting complex cultural attitudes toward Native Americans. Hochstrasser's piece highlights their artistic merit—vibrant polychromy, exaggerated features, and sturdy forms—offering visitors a window into America's commercial past and the enduring value of folk design.

About the Artist

Walter Hochstrasser · 1901–1975

Walter Hochstrasser (1901–1975) was a Swiss-born American artist who became a significant contributor to the Index of American Design, the New Deal-era federal project that created a comprehensive visual archive of American folk and decorative arts. Born in Switzerland in 1901, Hochstrasser emigrated to the United States and established himself as a watercolorist of considerable technical skill. T...