Cigar Store Indian c. 1936

Walter Hochstrasser rendered this 'Cigar Store Indian' using watercolor and graphite. The figure is adorned with the feathered headdress of a Plains Indian, while she is offering tobacco. The ‘noble savage’ became a popular trope, an idealized representation of native peoples, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. This romanticized image, which we see displayed here, served as a kind of cultural shorthand, appealing to notions of purity and unspoiled nature. Images of offering, like that of our figure offering tobacco, can be traced back to ancient votive figures, which is intended to fulfill a vow or show religious devotion. Yet, in this context, the offering is transformed, becoming a commercial transaction, a visual lure for potential customers. It echoes similar displays of wealth, fertility and exoticism present in other contexts throughout history. This representation reveals how symbols are appropriated, reinterpreted, and employed in new contexts. The statue is caught in a perpetual loop, revealing the complex interplay between desire, identity, and representation.