Famous Native American chiefs on early cigarette “silks”

When I see items at auction about Native Americans, I’m drawn to them as much as I am to those pertaining to African Americans. We both share a history in this country that has not always been accurately drawn.

So at auction recently, when I saw the faces of Native American chiefs on a tray inside one of the glass cases where they keep the good stuff, I obviously wanted a closer look. The images were on silk fabric encased in plastic, some of which had yellowed with age. They were cigarette silks that tobacco companies placed inside cigarette packs early in the 20^th century.

The silks were among several promotions and advertisements used by the companies. They included cigarette cards, tobacco tags (in chewing tobacco tins), cigar ribbons (tied around bundled cigars) and flannels/felts (adorned with flags, college logos and more). Some were premiums that could be traded for coupons.  The silks – more satin than silk – could be sewn together to make pillows and quilts, or collected as series.

Many of the silks bore the names of the cigarettes, but the ones at auction were blank except for the words “Factory No. 649, First District, N.Y.” and a number in the lower right corner. Googling, I saw that they had the same notations as those on Tokio Cigarettes silks, which were issued by the American Tobacco Co. Other silks were issued by Sovereign, Nebo and Zira cigarettes.

The Tokio silks were produced around 1910 in a series of 50 with the word “Tokio Cigarettes” across the bottom. (Interestingly, around the same time, the tobacco company issued pinback buttons that took jabs at the women’s suffrage movement. One put the fear in men that they would be forced to do “women’s work.”  The buttons were placed inside Tokio and Hassan cigarette packs.)

The color lithographs of Native American chiefs on the silks mimicked a series of 50 cigarette cards issued in 1888 by the Allen & Ginter company to promote its cigarettes. Called the N2 series, it consisted of the country’s most famous and extraordinary chiefs. Four of the original cards mixed up the images and names of the chiefs, but the cards were re-issued with corrections.

One of the most sought-after cards is said to be that of Sitting Bull, a defiant leader who resisted and fought vehemently against federal troops and for the survival of his people during the late 19th century. Others included Geronimo, Chief Joseph and Red Cloud. Many of the chiefs were still living at the time; their images were said to have been taken from portraits housed at the Department of the Interior. Sitting Bull, in fact, was part of Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show and was a more familiar face.

The back of the card dubbed them the “Celebrated American Indian Chiefs” and noted that each box of 10 cigarettes contained one card. A list of the names of each of the chiefs was printed on the back. (In 1913, many of the chiefs attended a ceremony to build a monument to Native Americans, but the structure never materialized.)

Cigarette cards were produced in a size smaller (1 ½” x 2 ½”) than the silks, and production ceased during World War II’s paper shortage. The cards were made by several manufacturers, and the images also included major sports figures, animals, butterflies, comics, chickens and Hollywood celebrities. Kelley Baking Co. distributed an “American Indian Chiefs” series to promote its bread.

The smallest of the silks appeared to be 2″ x 3 ¼”, the approximate size of the ones at auction. Another larger-format series of six was almost doubled that size.