Grading Cigar Box labels











The Wild West and Cigar Advertising.





Civil War Generals and Cigar Label Advertising




Fremasonry and Cigar Box Labels

It’s amazing how Cigar box labels artists had a never ending source of subject matter to draw from for cigar box labels. By the late 19th century no subject was off limits for a cigar label artists as long as the image would sell cigars. Hence, Freemasonry became perfect subject matter because of its richness in symbolism and its appeal to the many men that belonged to these fraternal Organizations.

The occult symbolism in Freemasonry came directly from a fountainhead of ancient Egyptian mysticism and contained hidden meanings that the cigar label artists loved to use on cigar labels.

Take for example the Inner Cigar Box Label Trimble Lodge “117”. A holy bible sits on an alter of masonry, and upon the bible sits a square and a compass.  If you take a closer look you will also see the letter “G”, an all seeing eye, three candles in the shape of a triangle, a trowel and a slipper.

All these symbols have dualistic meanings. The square, the compass and the trowel were all tools used by the masons in their work but they also represented a more hidden meaning of the righteousness and divine. A compass represented the heavens or mans wisdom of conduct, the square represented the earth or mans virtue of conduct (morality), and the trowel represented the spreading of brotherly love and affection.  The “G” and all Seeing Eye represented god.  The three candles in the shape of a triangle  represented the great first cause of truth. The slipper represented man’s protective influence for his family. Together they are the symbols of revelation, righteousness, and man’s redemption.

Stone Lithography More Than a Drawing on A Stone

Most cigar box label enthusiasts have a fairly knowledgeable understanding of the lithographic process. Alois Senefelder, the inventor of stone lithography (1776), created a process of drawing images on to a stone surface using greasy inks or crayons. Printing ink was then applied to the stone surface which adhered to the greasy drawing while being repelled by the wet areas. Later chromo-lithography was used where a different stone was used for each color.
What is not too common knowledge is during the mid 19th century there were actually other methods for creating images on a flat stone surface. Many lithographs, including cigar box labels, used a combination of methods. Two examples were Transfer lithography and Photo lithography.
In transfer lithography the design is drawn on special transfer paper and does not require the artist to reverse his or her drawing.  The drawing is made on paper and transferred to a heated stone by pressure.  Next, the surface of the stone untouched by grease is desensitized to it, and the portions drawn upon are fixed against spreading by treatment with a gum arabic and nitric acid solution.The paper image was then transferred (etched) into the stone.
With the invention of photography (1839), a Photo-lithographic process was invented. This discovery eventually lead to the use of the halftone process (the act of breaking down the original photograph into dots of varying sizes that would be suitable to press reproduction). In the Photo-lithographic process the stone surface was treated with light sensitive chemicals (abumen).  A pattern was laid on the stone then exposed to intense light chemically etching the image in half tones on to the stone.  Henry Talbot used the first halftone screen  for the reproduction of photographs around 1852. About 33 years later, Frederick Ives, an American, designed the first practical halftone screen that consisted of two exposed glass negatives with line scribed on each of them. They were then cemented together so that the scribed lines would cross at right angles . This halftone process allowed the reproduction of original photographs into the pattern, thus eliminating the need to draw or engrave them onto a stone or printing plate . This was the a precursor to the Photo-mechanical process, used at the beginning of the 20 th century.
At the beginning of the 20th century techniques improved,  eventually giving way to Photo-mechanical process. Here the photographic image was projected through a special screen and on to a photochemically sensitized printing plate (zinc).

How to Determine the Age of a Cigar Box Label


1. Is the Cigar Box Label a stone lithograph?


2. Is the label embossed?


3. Is there a copyright date below the image?


4.  Is there a lithographers name underneath the image?


1849 – 1873 F. Heppenheimer
1873-1885 Heppenheimer & mauer
1885-1892 F. Heppenheimer & sons
1847-1872 George Harris
1873-1880 George Harris & sons
1861-1970 Calvert Lithographic Co.
1892- 1930 American Lithographic
1892-1900 O. L. Schwencke
1874-1915 Schmitt & Co.
1916-1926 George Schmidt & Co.
1841-1851 George Schlegel 75 John Street
1851-1870 George Schlegel 75-77 Duane St
1870-1879 George Schlegel 676 Williams St
1880-1919 George Schlegel Art Lithographers
1897-1970 F.M. Howell & Co.

The Politics of Cigar Box Labels

Political campaigns of the late 1800’s were exciting times for the public, politicians and cigar makers; very different then today’s planned TV ad’s and debates. At no other time was the citizen’s interest in elections and politics more passionate; with more then eighty percent of all eligible voters actually voting for local and national candidates. The basic campaign strategy was the maximum mobilization of potential votes. The candidates kicked off their campaigns by first notifying the public through the use of printed paper including: newspapers, posters, handbills, and cigar labels

The Politician’s image on cigar labels made money for the cigar makers. Most politicians smoked cigars and most debated in public forums. The candidates association with the cigar makers suggested that they intended to support and endorse pro tobacco legislation.

Usually, portraits of political party candidate’s  and their  names were prominently displayed . Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, and Harrison perfectly fit the image of the cigar smoker.

This is considered one of the first Lincoln political labels. Lincoln frequently appeared on cigar labels during the 19th century.

Grover Cleveland, elected in 1884, was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win office since James Buchanan in 1856.

The election of 1888 is a famous one in cigar circles as no other election in history generated more cigar brands and a greater variety of cigar box labels.

McKinley, though popular in his day, is probably best remembered now as the president whose assassination elevated Theodore Roosevelt, his vice president, to the White House.