Bidspirit auction | Original Preparatory Artwork for ”Judge

Original Preparatory Artwork for ”Judge Jenkins” Cigar Label Proof, F. M. Howell Style - This is an original preparatory artwork for a commercial cigar label proof, executed in the style associated with major lithographers of the period, such as F. M. Howell & Co. of Elmira, NY. The antique piece is rendered in opaque paints (gouache and watercolor) with rich metallic gold accents applied to a buff-colored board, consistent with early 20th-century American advertising art. The central design features a caricature portrait of a smiling, corpulent gentleman, identified by the banner below as ”JUDGE JENKINS,” smoking a cigarette. The portrait is set within a circular field of metallic gold. The composition is flanked by genre symbols related to the product and the character: stacked cigar boxes (one bearing a miniature version of the label) on the left, and a stack of books, a pipe, and a tied pouch on the right. This unique piece represents a crucial step in the design and production process for vintage cigar box labels and proofs. Faint graphite annotations are visible in the lower right margin, reading ”Registered” and ”Original Sk-.”