Cuban Cigar Labels -- The Tobacco Industry in Cuba and Florida: Its Golden Age in Lithography and Architecture by Menocal, Narciso - 1995

Coral Gables, Florida: Cuban National Heritage, 1995. Book. Near Fine. Stapled Softcover. First Edition.. 48 pp. on glossy stock. Like new, no markings. A business card for the chairman of the publisher is stapled to the title page. An 18-page essay by Narciso Menocal traces how cigar labels became a showcase for fine lithography in Cuba and Florida. He also touches on the history of the cigar industry in Spain, Cuba and Florida. The full-color plates, four or five to a page, show the various fanciful designs used for cigar labels and cigar box decorations, many of them showing aristorcratic women in ball gowns, others with patriotic themes honoring heroes of Cuban nationalism. Some have romantic or erotic images. Includes a few prints of ornate cigar factories in Spain and Cuba. Menocal notes that ironically Anglos were first to recognize the intricate labels as fine art; Cuban artists tended to disdain them as too commercial and common. Essay in English; captions in English & Spanish. A catalog for an exhibition that toured Florida museums in 1995-96. Front cover shows a label from the Flor el Todo cigar factory. Preface by Dr. Alberto S. Bustamente, of Orlando, chairman of the Cuba National Heritage organization. Size: 8vo -- 8.5 In Tall By 11 in Wide, Oblong Format.