Hobo Cigar Clippings

Hobo Cigar Clippings

popular culture

stereotype

misrepresentation

These were the cigar leaf scraps from the cigar maker’s bench - cheap cut-off pieces that fell on the floor during the cigar making process. They were sold cheaply because there was no use for them – cigar clippings could not be used to make cigarettes or chewing tobacco because cigar leaves from South America or Cuba were alkaline in nature. Tobacco for Cigarettes and chewing was grown in the southern U.S. and is acidic in nature. Both had very different tastes and effects on the body when smoked or chewed. The tobacco industry treated skilled hobos very well, even paid traveling expenses to other jobs. CMIU (Cigar Makers Int’l. Union) Was one of first labor unions in America. It was so well organized and successful it served as a model for future labor organizers.

Dorf Cigar Company

Minneapolis Skinny

Dorf Cigar Company

wooden cigar box

object

English

still image

La Crosse, Wisconsin