IX
I am told that a Collector went about in Baltimore twenty years ago and bought up all the best of these signs in that city, for their carving was often admirable, spirited, and artistic. A friend sends me an interesting history of that “Ancient Baltimorean, the Cigar Store Indian,” written in 1908 for a paper of that city.
On good authority, it is stated that there are 2,000 tobacco stores in Baltimore. One finds them in all parts of the city, on street corners, in basements, in the middle of blocks and fronting alleys.
It is estimated that 150 of these 2,000 tobacco stores are identified by a wooden figure just as a barber shop is identified by a ribbon-striped pole. The wooden figures are almost always found to represent an Indian, although occasionally there are other figures.
And so they may be found differing in size, coloring, ornamentation, state of repair and general condition, or rather, in most cases, general debility.
To review the history of these Indians one would naturally look to a tobacconist of age, with years in the business of dealing in and manufacturing of smokers’ articles, and in interviewing several of such many facts of interest may be learned.
The oldest tobacconist in Baltimore is venerable Mr. Caspari, of Calvert street, one of whose figures was mentioned above.
Mr. Caspari’s story of the Indian is as follows: “The first figures were made by ship carpenters 125 years ago and were carved out of lengths of old seasoned masts.
“In those days of individual effort and prosperity cigar stores were few and far between, and for a sign to identify them they used the figure of an Indian, because from the Indian, the white man first received tobacco.
“At first the figure was painted on each side of a board. This was placed in front of the store. From that evolved the carving of the figure from solid wood as a new idea and more attractive and progressive, as well as more expensive and valuable.
“Fifty years ago no tobacconist would think of opening a store without a figure. Now the men in the trade think that to put an Indian out is to waste money.
“When I started business, in 1861, my stock cost me $30, and I had a figure that cost $40. I had to have the sign, though it cost more money than the stock inside. Since then I have been 46 years in business on one (Calvert) street,” said Mr. Caspari.
In 1864 he hired a man from New York to make figures for him. The first figure was a small one, representing an Indian squaw. This was sold in Baltimore in 1865 and brought $15.
These figures were made out of old masts. Each one was handmade with saw, knife, chisel and such tools of the trade. The sculptor would work on five or six different ones in turn and take, on an average, about a week’s time to finish a figure.
Mr. Caspari has sold figures in many other towns and cities.
In the old days, customers coming in and wanting a figure would choose some new design, and so “Girls of the Period” were next in vogue. These were fanciful, flashy figures and very attractive.
“Four of a Kind”
“Pipitone, on Charles street, near Baltimore, years ago bought one of these fancy figures,” said Mr. Caspari, “and soon after a storm blew it to Baltimore street, damaging it badly. He brought it back and had it repaired and painted and about two months after that a horse ran away and the wagon caught the figure and broke it to pieces.”