Cigar Store Figure c. 1936

Eugene Croe rendered this cigar store figure in watercolor. Here, the figure stands with crossed arms, a posture laden with meaning across epochs. Consider the ancient pharaohs, arms crossed over their chests in eternal repose, symbols of power and authority enduring beyond the grave. Yet, the cigar store figure, with his flamboyant moustache and uniform, suggests a more earthly dominion: the realm of commerce. This military uniform echoes across history, from Roman centurions to Napoleonic officers, each detail meticulously crafted to convey status. The uniform connects the mundane sale of cigars to a deeper, subconscious narrative of empire and conquest. But here, the meaning has shifted from military to the commercial. Such a motif, like a wandering soul, appears and reappears, transformed by time and context, yet forever tethered to our collective memory.