The History of Cuban Cigars

Cigars were Cuabs most profitable export to North America. Antique cigar labels symbolize the top of artistic advertising in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Cigars started becoming an interest to merchants around the 16th century. During the 19th century in the Western Hemisphere Cuban cigars specifically, became very popular. Due to this popularity it spawned a popular art known as the cigar label. In 1882 and during the mid century in Havanna, a successful printing business focused around the design of Cuban cigar labels, cigarette paper and brands. Cigar labels and bands were designed to give the product a sense of history, by copying images that show historical figures, leading celebrities, famous events that had taken place in Cuba and idealized pictures. Females and waving flags were also very popular labels. Tons of brands marketing their cigars made them colorful, with fit designed box labels meant to catch the eye. The labels printed in the late 1800s and early 1900s employed large hand engraved stones to press the inks onto the paper. Many of these labels had real gold pressed onto them to draw attention to them and make them flashier. Brand names like Cubana and Rosita were letterd in rich typefaces with fake grain wood behind them to hint a humidor. Even modernistic labels evoked a superior heritage consistent with the image of cigar smoking. These neatly designed lithographs were placed on boxes and bands and became highly collectible as works of art. During the late 19th century the cigar manufacture industry bolstered the economy stability where Cuban cigar companies established factories.