The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-07
ART IN CIGAR LABELS.
1t Has Developed in Rapid Strides
in Recent Years.

in Recent Years.
From the New York Mail and Express.
Next to engravers of bonds and bank
notes the men who make the drawings for
cigar labels command the fancy salaries
for that class of mechanical work. One
of the largest photographers of this city
says that the variety of designs on cigar
labels far exceeds that of any other
branch of the trade. There is an ever
changing demand for cigar labels" said
this manufacturer, "and it is something
new, sonnet thing new every hour of the
day. And better art is wanted. The
Americans buy an article on its looks. L
know one manufacturers alone who has
1853 shapes of cigars, made to catch the
eye.
Not many years ago manufacturers
were willing to pay any price for label
in six colors, and the kind turned out
then was shabby when compared with
the production of these days. A moder-
ate price for the commonest was between
$65 and SIS a thousand. Then labels had
to be attractive rather than artistic. Each
manufactures now requires from 100 to $50
brands, and while ne insists that they
must be nice, he leaves the photographer
to walk the floor so far as the concep-
ton and execution are concerned. Artists
in the old days did well to get s25 a week.
Il Is now pretty hard to get a first-class
man for less than $50 Some of my best
men get $75 a week and imagine that they
are being imposed upon at that. Increase
of work and competition has resulted in
the trade furnishing a high class of work
IT less than 1t used to charge for common
prints Many cigar manufacturers Judge
a label by the number of colors 1t Is said to
contain. But that has little 20 do with
the artistic effect. Sometimes a six-color
label costs more than one having ten col
ors. good artist can produce better
results with four colors than an inexpert
can with six
Here is pretty design as a sample. 1t
IS In sepla tints. which are quite popular
The only color in it is brown but there
are six shades, and, combined they are
beautiful harmony. Here is another II
il were anything but cigar label it might
win frame and be dearly priced as an
ornament. 1t is equal In beauty TO the
best of the holiday and birthday cards: vet
the latter sell for % and 50 cents. and the
manufacturers think this dear at five or
six cents. Many come in here and say
Show me anything that hasn't the figure
of woman in it Others 20 into rap
lures over the female form But the ma
jority do not know at first what they
want, and most commonplace thing like
a dog in label Will drive some of them
into raptures. For many years the popu-
lar label was an American beauty repre-
sentng Connecticut holding hands with
Cuban maiden
Frequently have been expected to ex-
plain the meaning of phrase chosen for
label. One recently given up was I'm
til Death Do Us Part That was a
suckler to the artist, and he nearly went
insane trying to fathom its meaning. His
only solution of the problem was that i
meant a poor, miserable wretch holding
on to a bad cigar 1 have frequently
studied personal characters in the pur-
chasers of labels. The man who likes the
turf wants flying equine, the athlete
revels in a Hercules throwing a hammer
as big a 13-inch gun, or chap on the
cinder path. and the devotee of the prize
ring wants the latest star in the fistic sky.
Sometimes a manufacturer, generally a
small one, shows his reflex by ordering a
label containing his picture.
"Comcal labels?" There is little or no
call for them. They soon get to be what
are known as chestnuts, and are seldom
used outside of barrooms. Within the LAST
year or so there has been a popular craze
for labels containing numerals such as the
TAO or the ALA.
1T is seldom that a label comes up in
excellence 10 the proof The latter is
hand work and the label itself is the out
put of machinery. The weather has much
TO do with lithographing. because it is a
chemical process. A color will dry orli-
narily in a day if the weather be sunshiny
but in bad weather 1t may not dry for a
week. Good colOrs. if not exposed to the
sunlight, will last two years No. thank
you, ! never smoke. ] don't know tobacco
beyond the label"