Thursday, August 27, 2009


CIGAR ART

Fun Fact #1: Before cigar boxes, cigars used to be sold in bundles covered with pigs' bladders. Smoke on that!

Fun Fact #2: Cigar bands were invented by the Dutch in 1850, to eliminate the problem of getting one's gloves dirty while smoking at the opera.

I've never been a smoker, but all it takes is a faint whiff of cigar smoke and I'm weak in the knees. It's not just the smell...it's everything that's associated with it. A dark and smoky club on a hot Habana night. A black rusty fan buzzes above. A man, tall dark and handsome (of course), enters the room. His hat is pulled over his eyes, and a thick trail of smoke is released from underneath the rim.

OK! So, maybe I've been watching too much Casablanca.

Even more intriguing, perhaps, is the cigar box and label art that accompanies this world. Is there anything more beautiful than these miniature works of art? Gold leaf, heavy embossing, brilliant colors, stunningly detailed patterns, intricate typography....AHHH! And that border on the upper right-hand corner one...

...speechless.


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