Cigar Box, Havana Tips Epicure
Credit LineGift of Dr. J. M. Waters, 1992
Object number1992.002.052
Label TextThis is a London cigar box. The cigar making industry had quite a presence in the history of London, as it was once the nation’s second-largest cigar-producing city. Between the years 1880 and 1920, cigar manufacturing in London was at its height. During this time the process of making cigars transitioned from a handcraft to factory operation. In 1910, at the industry’s peak, London boasted more than 20 cigar-making firms. Their 2000 employees produced more than 80 million cigars a year. The city's cigar-making industry took off after Prime Minister John A. Macdonald introduced the National Policy in 1879. This placed duties on manufactured products, like German cigars, but not on unprocessed materials like Cuban and American tobacco. Homegrown business could produce good quality, affordable products, including cigars. The city's cigar industry began to decline during the First World War (1914-1918). With the introduction of Prohibition in 1916, the cigar industry suffered because the treating system ended. In that system, men in taverns would buy each other drinks, and those who didn't drink would receive a cigar. Another blow to cigars was the popularity of cigarettes. Men who smoked cigarettes during the First World War kept up the habit when they returned home.
NameBox, Cigar
