Cigar Store Indian 1935 - 1942

Curator: It’s both intriguing and, I confess, a bit melancholic to gaze upon this image, created between 1935 and 1942 by Flora Merchant. Titled "Cigar Store Indian," it's a rendering of what was once a familiar sight. Editor: My immediate feeling is one of unsettling stillness. There’s something frozen, almost taxidermied, about the figure's posture. It speaks of displacement, a spirit captured rather than celebrated. Curator: Exactly. These figures, often carved from wood, stood as beacons, symbols of the “New World” promising exotic goods. Now they feel like ghosts of that era, emblems of a complicated history. Merchant captures that stillness perfectly, doesn’t she? The muted colors add to the feeling. Editor: The bundle he holds, presumably cigars, is symbolic. Offering both communion and commercial exchange. Tobacco holds a deep sacred value amongst Indigenous cultures, but then being bartered in this commercial format… it feels like theft, wouldn’t you agree? Curator: Oh, unequivocally. There's such a powerful dissonance between the noble visage and the commercial purpose. And look closely – those details of attire! What appears like respect is actually caricature. That stylized head dress for example, far from reality. Editor: Yes! The feathers, the patterned clothes… they’re all laden with meaning but are distorted to become a marketable image. The statue’s steady gaze, the artist hints, isn't offering guidance. It represents an idea. Curator: So, seeing it, particularly through Merchant's artistic eye, prompts some uncomfortable truths. It is so easy to forget these were living peoples when surrounded by a cultural symbol now regarded with such simplicity, and frankly, often, indifference. Editor: Indeed. It urges a reimagining. Rather than seeing only a weathered figure standing guard for sales, to consider what cultural memory the real figure it represents holds. A statue like this echoes the original act, doesn’t it? And we mustn't forget.