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Cigar Store Indian


Cigar Store Indian
Photo Information
Copyright: Fran King (sugah_bear69) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 601 W: 62 N: 1227] (4362)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-04-05
Categories: Artwork
Camera: Canon PowerShot A70, Canon Zoom Lens 3X 5.4-16.2mm 1.2 8-4.8
Exposure: f/4.8, 1/202 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Cigars, wooden, Old Building [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-04-07 5:11
Viewed: 837
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Steam Ships brought about the decline in sailing vessels the main outlet for professional carvers who made figureheads. The carvers turned their attention and skills to new marketing enterprises, Wooden Indians. The origin of the wooden Indian dates back to England in 1617, when small wooden figures called "Virginie Men" were placed on countertops to represent tobacco companies. These "Virginians" (the local English renditions of Indians) were depicted as black men wearing headdresses and kilts made of tobacco leaves.

Most cigar-store Indians carved in American were carved on the eastern seaboard or midwestern cities by artisans who might never have actually encountered a Native American; this is the reason the figures look like white men in native garb. The American-made western Cigar-Store Indian were clothed in fringed buckskins, draped with blankets, decorated with feathered headdresses and sometimes shown holding tomahawks or bows, arrows and spears. Their facial features rarely resembled members of any particular American Indian.

In the American entrepreneurial spirit, some innovative tobacco sellers sought unconventional images for their trade signs to set them apart from the more established merchants. The merchant’s customer often remembered the quality look and feel of specific wooden Indian over the products of the merchant. These Indians would enhance the flavor of high-class cigar friendly smoking rooms, increase the appearance of fashionable hotel lobbies or go nicely on the sidewalk of the local tobacconist shop. "In retrospect Experts believe that the population of Original Cigar-Store Indians made (said to be approximately 100,000 or so around the turn of the century) is now about several thousand or less."

How to shoot an Indian:

Set up tripod
Adjust levels on tripod (Dang bubbles!)
Place camera on tripod
Check lighting (Dang sun moved!)
Move tripod
Level Again
Check lighting
Take Picture
Resize
Unsharp mask
Frame
Upload

Thanks for visiting!
Fran
evanrizo, vsinopoulos, OeilMagique, Refugee, JohnTulip, lucbus, perryhooter, samr, pranab, sufi, spike1 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Ms-Mew: LookOeilMagique 1 04-12 11:59
To spike1: Hi Peter,sugah_bear69 3 04-09 18:45
To sufi: Hi Salim,sugah_bear69 1 04-09 01:10
To paul_indigo: Hi Paul,sugah_bear69 1 04-08 17:48
To SkyF: Hi Sky,sugah_bear69 1 04-08 11:03
To samr: Hi Sam,sugah_bear69 1 04-08 07:43
To pranab: Hi Pranab,sugah_bear69 1 04-08 07:40
To Viking: Hi Rob,sugah_bear69 1 04-08 02:21
To Werewolf: HI Wolfie!sugah_bear69 2 04-08 00:11
To lucbus: Hi Luc,sugah_bear69 1 04-07 23:20
To Refugee: HI David!sugah_bear69 2 04-07 18:47
To vsinopoulos: Hi Vassilis,sugah_bear69 1 04-07 18:04
To OeilMagique: Hey Paul,sugah_bear69 1 04-07 18:01
To JohnTulip: Hi John,sugah_bear69 1 04-07 17:55
To magda_indigo: Lol!!!sugah_bear69 1 04-07 09:41
To evanrizo: Hi Evan,sugah_bear69 1 04-07 09:35
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Critiques [Translate]

HI Fran,
Very nice clear photo you have here. Plenty to look at..nice compostion and it is very sharp.
Thanks!
Jessica

Hi Fran.
I like the colors and the clearness.

we have one here, can you believe it? I MUST GO AND SHOOT IT, well... you know what I mean, I'll try and follow your instuctions, thanx, M, (*_*)!

It is possible again to see that! I remenber i saw one on tk as i was a kid, i just ask myself why this one is in wood. As i ask me the same question about little personage represent a black person fishing in the garden...

Seeing that give the impression to move away behind in time... A barber, Info Center and post! They maximise the building :)

Very well seen and captured, everyday life scenes are interesting and you have picked a picturesque place, with plenty to see.
Vassilis

Hello Sugah Bear
This pic I really like, you even have the barber smilling inside (is that a real or wood barber?) Excellent street shot, I love this type of pic, give us some more. Oups can't do a workshop.
Paul

Okay I have waded through the write up now to the photo :). It brushed up very well for something a Souherner took... lol. Lovely work Fran, good bright colours, well composed and for once on the right side of the river. TFS and hugsss,
David
PS Many thanks for your comment on Autumn Colours I

Cute shot Fran, loud and clear and lots of details
The barber behind left window adds a lot here ^__^
TFS
John

  • Great 
  • lucbus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2108 W: 92 N: 1851] (10261)
  • [2006-04-07 22:39]
  • [+]

Hi Fran,
Excellent photo of this stores, I like the way you have capture the tree and the indian looking thru the left. Excellent colours and sharpness. Very well done
Luc

Good shopping shot :-) T C
Rob

  • Great 
  • samr Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 758 W: 44 N: 433] (3323)
  • [2006-04-08 3:23]
  • [+]

Nice and simple yet detailed sharpness in this great shot. The multi combination of Barber Shop (wearing the bow tie too !) and post office with the old style mail box give off a very warm and small town feel about it all. Very well done Fran, and TFS,
Sam

fran,
it is funny that you posted this shot because i am doing a series in te on displays and i just took a shot of the indian statue of a local tobacco store. great descriptive note.

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1666 W: 136 N: 1263] (6138)
  • [2006-04-08 9:44]
  • [+]

Hi Fran,
nice shot, ..hmm barber shop and visitor information. I have to say there is no place for more information than the local barber shop, it has been like this for ages :-)
Nice composition, good colors sharp and interesting details. I like it a lot.
TFS..Sky

Wonderful capture of this store and it's attending decoroation. You've captured the atmosphere and feel perfectly.

  • Great 
  • sufi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 720 W: 7 N: 106] (1336)
  • [2006-04-09 7:48]
  • [+]

Hi Fran...
It's another perfect composition and shot... Also perfect colors and light...
TFS...
Stay well..
Salim.

Hi Fran, unfortunately we didn't see any of these when we visited your country. I like the composition of the photo, and the lighting is very effective. No capyberas (or wombats)to be seen, though!

I like this guy, he seems to be on the look out for unsuspecting tourists...The man inside the window is he the barber or the float ice cream guy? I love the General Store aspect of this shot it brings us back in time.

Many thanks for the view

Marie-Lise

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