Cigar Store Figure: "Punch" 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is Raymond Neumann's drawing "Cigar Store Figure: 'Punch'," created sometime between 1935 and 1942. It's quite a character study of this vintage advertisement figure! The little wheeled platform stating 'On the Job Since 1865' gives it an extra layer of context. What can you tell us about its historical relevance? Curator: This image invites us to consider the broader cultural landscape of commercialism and representation in America. The 'Punch' figure, rooted in Punch and Judy shows which go back to the 16th century, was widely used to attract customers to cigar stores. This drawing captures a specific iteration, and by extension, points to a much longer history of using caricatures to entice a demographic. Consider, for instance, the social implications tied to such representations in the interwar period and later. Editor: That makes sense. It feels almost like a commentary on consumer culture. Do you think Neumann's intention was purely representational or more critical? Curator: That’s a tricky question. Artists, including commercial artists, rarely operate in a vacuum. They were certainly aware of the figures they were selling and also of the wider societal conversations of race, immigration, and stereotypes. How does the piece speak to the American fascination with commerce, as well as the role these caricatures played in forming cultural perceptions? Does the date on the figure’s stand – “Since 1865" – hint at a romanticized past, and if so, what does this signal in relation to consumerism at the time this image was created? Editor: That is definitely food for thought, particularly in considering the legacy of advertising, and its place in our cultural history. I hadn’t considered the date’s relevance so deeply! Thanks. Curator: Absolutely. The artwork acts as a social and cultural mirror of the past. By thinking about advertising, and its imagery, we can consider not only historical norms, but question what and how that impacts today.